Two and a half years have passed since the unprovoked abduction of Gilad Shalit on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza.

On June 25, 2006 IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, was abducted on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. On the first anniversary of his abduction (25 June 2007), Hamas released a recorded message of Gilad Shalit's voice - the first sign of life since he was abducted. Shalit's father Noam indicated that the voice - if not the wording of the message - was that of Gilad.

Addressing the members of the diplomatic corps in Israel, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "Hamas is making cynical use of the suffering of Gilad Shalit, the pain of his family, the pain of the people of Israel, in order to dictate its own brutal agenda in the region, in order to undermine a political process which is taking place right now to create a better future for the region. Hamas is responsible for the life and health of Gilad Shalit, and we, the Israeli government, will take all steps to bring him back home."

This recording, while an important development, cannot be seen as a substitute for what Hamas must really do: namely, to allow the International Red Cross to immediately visit Gilad Shalit and to allow him to receive proper medical attention.