Why Israel did the terrorists for Gilad deal

Israeli investigative reporter Ronen Bergman has a lengthy piece in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, in which he explains why Israel never undertook a rescue operation for Gilad Shalit and why it eventually made the trade that it made. I'm just going to give you a few highlights, and then you should read the whole thing. The Gaza Strip, where Shalit was held, is very small and densely populated