How much is a Palestinian worth?

I have thought about this issue a number of times and keep forgetting to put my thoughts down, but with the (supposed) impending release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been held hostage by Hamas for over three years and as the (suposed) details of the deal come out, I once again am thinking about this issue, but this time I'm putting them in writing.

One of the critical arrows repeatedly flung at Israel in response to its military actions against the Palestinians is that the disparity in dead and wounded, especially among civilians, indicates either a distinct indifference on the part of Israel to the sanctity of Palesinian life or an intentional attempt by Israel to inflict as much damage as possible on the Palestinian populace. Now, it is very possible that either or both of these are true on some scale (to what degree I do not care to guess). However, the details of the Gilad Shalit deal indicate that it is the Palestinians themselves who devalue the worth of their people's lives. The number that I have read (on haaretz.com) is that Israel will be releasing a total of 1,150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for this one Israeli soldier. 1,150 to 1. That is a staggering number, especially when we consider the following.

The reports vary but the death toll from the Gaza war earlier this year are put at between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians and approximately 13 Israelis. Using the ratio established by Hamas in their negotiations with Israel over the Shalit deal, the Israeli losses were equivalent to 14,950 Palestinians, more than ten times the maximum number of Palestinain losses quoted. Thus, it was Israel who sustained the far heavier losses; it is the Palestinians that should be criticized for inflicting such a level of damage and for their disregard for Israeli lives.

I am sure some, if not many, will content that it is not fair for me to make this kind of comparison, but why not? Gilad Shalit has sat imprisoned for over three years because Hamas has sought to push higher and higher the number of prisoners released for his freedom. At the same time, how many Palestinians have languished in Israeli jails because Hamas has viewed them as little more than commodities to be traded. Think I'm off base? If so, why didn't Hamas make the deal for even a couple of hundered prisoners two or three years ago? Why hasn't Hamas pursued the release of their 'soldiers' (I am clearly using that term very, very loosely in order to make my point) with the same vigor and increasing desperation that Israel has sought the release of Gilad Shalit? I think we can only conclude that it is because they are at least as guilty, if not more so, of the 'depraved indifference' of which they accuse Israel. They do not care about the plight of their own people, only the pursuit of their political and ideological goals. Now maybe I should have expected such behavior from a terrorist organization like Hamas, and I do, but I guess I assumed that they actually gave a damn about their own people even if they don't care about anyone else. Looks like I was wrong, for as they say, the numbers don't lie.