This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israelgaza-conflict-israel-confirms-soldier-missing-after-hamas-celebrates-alleged-kidnap-9620261.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Israel-Gaza conflict: Israeli military names soldier who has been confirmed as ‘missing’ after Hamas celebrates alleged kidnap | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Israeli military has confirmed the identity of one of its soldiers who is reported “missing” following fighting in the Gaza Strip. | |
| The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said 21-year-old Sergeant Oron Shaul had been among the seven Israeli soldiers feared dead following a rocket strike on an armoured personnel carrier on 20 July, but that his body was unaccounted for. | |
| Reports of a missing soldier have fuelled fears in Israel of what would be a nightmare scenario for the ongoing offensive. | |
| Capturing soldiers is one of Hamas’s highest-priority goals, as doing so raises the prospect of prisoner exchanges for disproportionately vast numbers of Palestinian detainees. | |
| The reported “kidnap” was celebrated across Gaza yesterday but initially flatly denied by Israel’s ambassador to the UN. | The reported “kidnap” was celebrated across Gaza yesterday but initially flatly denied by Israel’s ambassador to the UN. |
| Hamas named the soldier as “Shaul Aron” and released images appearing to show his military identification – but they did not include any pictures of a soldier alive in their hands. | |
| Today, the IDF tweeted: “The seventh soldier is Sgt Oron Shaul, 21, from Poria. We are still working to identify his body.” | |
| Israeli media reported that while the IDF had said a soldier was missing, he was considered to be presumed dead because it was unlikely anyone would have survived the direct hit on the vehicle in which he was travelling. | |
| The seventh soldier is Sgt. Oron Shaul, 21, from Poria. We are still working to identify his body. | |
| For the Israeli campaign, a captured soldier would be a disaster and pile a huge amount of public pressure on the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. | For the Israeli campaign, a captured soldier would be a disaster and pile a huge amount of public pressure on the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. |
| In 2011, Mr Netanyahu agreed to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in order to secure the release of just a single soldier who had been held in Gaza for more than five years. Officials have since said they are desperate to avoid a repeat of such a drawn-out process. | In 2011, Mr Netanyahu agreed to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in order to secure the release of just a single soldier who had been held in Gaza for more than five years. Officials have since said they are desperate to avoid a repeat of such a drawn-out process. |
| But even the loss of a dead soldier would be considered a failure on the Israeli military's part. Prisoner exchanges in the past have included the return of bodies to Israel for a proper burial. | |
| Yesterday a confident-sounding Hamas told Israel to withdraw from Gaza as a result of the alleged kidnap. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesperson for the group, said: “Israel has terribly failed and we advise them to take their soldiers and leave before we kidnap more soldiers in addition to the scores we have already killed and wounded.” | Yesterday a confident-sounding Hamas told Israel to withdraw from Gaza as a result of the alleged kidnap. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesperson for the group, said: “Israel has terribly failed and we advise them to take their soldiers and leave before we kidnap more soldiers in addition to the scores we have already killed and wounded.” |