JERUSALEM, March 17 (Reuters) - Israel will not ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip until captured soldier Gilad Shalit is freed by the enclave's Hamas Islamist rulers, an Israeli political source said on Tuesday after talks with Hamas stalled.

"The crossings ... are operating at a minimum to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," the source said after an Israeli cabinet meeting. "And they (the crossings) will remain so until Gilad Shalit is released."