The Israeli intelligence community has little experience in deciphering tapes made by terrorist organizations and ascertaining their authenticity because the tape of Gilad Shalit that Hamas released yesterday marked the first release of an audiotape of an Israeli captive.

The kidnappers of soldier Nachshon Wachsman in 1994 released a videotape of him, but when the army later discovered where Wachsman was being held, militant groups concluded that the tape had aided the discovery.

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The tape actually played no role: An intelligence source, aided by intuition, was responsible. But this belief was behind Hamas' refusal, until now, to release a tape of Shalit, out of fear that such a recording could help Israel discover where Shalit is being kept.

Lack of experience will not impede efforts to determine whether the speaker is really Shalit, because the intelligence agencies have the necessary equipment and capabilities. Shalit's family and samples of his voice will aid in the task.

Analysts will also try to identify any background noises that may not be audible to the naked ear that could shed light on Shalit's location. In addition, they will try to determine whether the tape has been edited in any way.

The intelligence agencies will also work their agents and their electronic eavesdropping devices for clues about how, where, when and under what circumstances the tape was made. Any information could advance the effort to locate Shalit.