A report in the London-based Arabic daily ash-Sharq al-Awsat, quoting Israeli officials, says that the IDF knows "exactly" where kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is being held, and that the location is under constant Israeli surveillance. Hamas is aware that Israel knows where Shalit is being held, the report said, quoting an Israeli source.
The reason Israel has withheld from rescuing Shalit, the report said, is because of a fear that Hamas will kill the soldier if Israel attempts to rescue him. The site where Shalit is being held is surrounded by explosives, which will be set off remotely if IDF soldiers get too close, the source said, citing the murder of another IDF captive, Nachson Wachsman, who was killed when Israeli soldiers tried to rescue him in 1994.