Spokesman of the armed wing of the group "Hamas" said today that its fighters captured Israeli soldiers during fighting last night in Jabalia in the northern part of Gaza, although the Israeli armed forces denied this information, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
A spokesman for the armed wing of "Hamas" did not specify how many soldiers were abducted and did not provide evidence for its claim.
"Our fighters lured the Zionist forces into an ambush inside a tunnel... The fighters retreated after leaving all members of the unit dead, wounded and captured," the spokesman of the "Al Qassam" Brigades said. Abu Ubaydah in a pre-recorded address broadcast on "Al Jazeera" television. early this morning.
The Israeli armed forces denied the claim by "Hamas".
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) clarified that there was no incident in which a soldier was abducted,'' a military statement said.
"Hamas" posted a video showing footage of a bloodied man being dragged along the ground in a tunnel, as well as photos of a military uniform and a rifle. Reuters notes that it has not been able to independently confirm the identity of the person shown in the video, nor his condition.
Abu Ubaydah's comments came hours after the prospect of a resumption of UN-brokered Gaza ceasefire talks intensified last night.
An official familiar with the matter said a decision had been made to resume talks next week after the head of Israel's intelligence agency "Mossad" met with the head of the CIA and with the Prime Minister of Qatar.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was decided "to start negotiations next week based on new proposals led by mediators Egypt and Qatar, and with the active participation of the US.
Later an official representative of "Hamas" denied Israeli media reports that talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday and said there was "no date".
Amid the more than seven-month war in Gaza, mediators are trying to reach a breakthrough, with Israel demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas, and Hamas wants an end to the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.