On October 17, 2011, Israel released 477 Palestinian prisoners, the first of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Hundreds of the released Palestinian prisoners were serving life sentences for murder.

Following the deal, Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV broadcast a video which presented the following exchange as a prototype for future Hamas strategy and action. The clip presented the kidnapping of another six Israeli soldiers as the key to the release of the remaining 6,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Text on screen:
1 Zionist soldier = 1,000 prisoners
6 Zionist soldiers = 6,000 prisoners
Capture of 6 Zionist soldiers = release of remaining prisoners.
We are still thinking about you.

Israel's release of prisoners in exchange for hostages is not seen by Palestinian society as merely the last stage of one kidnapping, but as the first act of the next kidnapping.

Source: Excerpts of an article by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik, Palestinian Media Watch