Israeli Planes Attack Two Gaza Bridges

Israeli soldiers listen to their commander next to a line of armored vehicles at a gathering point near Kibbutz Mefalsim southern Israel, Monday, June 26, 2006. Israel on Monday ruled out negotiations with the Palestinian captors of an Israeli soldier, promising a "broad and ongoing" military offensive in the Gaza Strip. But even as Israel massed forces along the Gaza border, large-scale military action appeared unlikely. Officials said they were still pursuing a diplomatic solution and conceded a broad attack would threaten the soldier's life. (AP Photo/Oded Blilty) (Oded Balilty - AP)

"The soldier is in a secure place that the Zionists cannot reach," said Mohammed Abdel Al, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees. He said his group also took a West Bank settler hostage.

Mohammad Nazal, a Damascus-based member of the Hamas politburo, said the militant group would not agree to free the Israeli soldier "without a deal."

"No release without something in return," he told AP. "This is the popular demand and we cannot let down our people."

Israel's Channel 2 TV reported that international mediators involved in talks with the kidnappers had given up, saying negotiations were going nowhere. An Egyptian official concurred that talks with Hamas officials in Gaza were "on hold," but insisted negotiations were still taking place with Hamas leaders in Syria.

Egyptian officials said their government asked Hamas to release the soldier and deployed 2,500 extra soldiers along the border with Gaza to prevent an influx of Palestinians if Israel invaded. Egypt also imposed a nighttime curfew on residents along the border.

Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, urged Hamas' Syria-based leader, Khaled Mashaal, to push for Shalit's release, the officials said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The crisis touched off by the soldier's capture has caused widespread alarm among Arab countries worried about a flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Arab countries, worried about Hamas' ascendancy and especially the actions of its more militant wings, appeared to be trying to support Abbas as he worked to isolate the more militant arm of Hamas and forge ties with the political wing of Hamas.

Abbas has been in touch with Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Saudi King Abdullah to discuss the latest crisis, said his aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh.

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Associated Press writer Salah Nasrawi in Cairo contributed to this report.