In a bid to prevent the abduction of soldiers in Israel and the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched on Sunday a new campaign to raise awareness among soldiers not to take hikes on the road that could lead to kidnappings by militant groups.

The IDF said that after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit's prisoner swap last October, the number of kidnapping attempts considerably rose.

Shalit, 25, whose release deal entailed the highest price ever paid by the Jewish state for one person, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli soldier, is also the first soldier in 26 years to return home from captivity alive.

With a logo "Don't catch a hike, the hike might catch you," the IDF will advertise their campaign on billboards and Internet sites, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Only in 2011, the IDF reported 11 abduction attempts, and Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have openly expressed their intentions to capture Israeli soldiers after the success of Shalit's exchange.

"The goal is to raise the awareness of the soldiers and their families to change the way soldiers travel," IDF Spokesman Brig.- Gen. Yoav Mordechai said on Sunday.

Hitchhiking is a common practice among young Israelis, specially during their military service between 18 and 21 years old.