Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ruled out negotiations with the Palestinian captors of an Israeli soldier and says his army will strike all the militants involved.
Mr. Olmert says he has instructed the army to continue operations in the Gaza Strip aimed at freeing the soldier, who was captured June 25th.
The Palestinian factions holding the soldier had set a morning deadline today (Tuesday) for Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but Israel refused.
One of the groups holding the soldier now says no further information will be disclosed about the captive.
An Israeli spokesman told a French news channel today the government knows that "up to now" the soldier is alive but injured, and that he was seen by a Palestinian doctor a few days ago.
An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza early today killed one person and wounded at least two others. Israel said it targeted militants planting bombs.
Another Israeli airstrike struck a building at the Islamic University in Gaza City, a Hamas stronghold. There were no casualties. Israel said it hit a compound used by terror groups.
In the West Bank, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man when they entered Jenin on an arrest raid. Israeli troops also seized three Palestinians in Ramallah, suspecting them of a role in the killing of an 18-year-old Jewish settler last week.