In Gaza, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees said the Israeli operation jeopardized prospects for the safe release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas-linked militants in June. A spokesman for the group, using the alias Abu Abir, also said Israel would face a wave of suicide bombings if the offensive was not halted within two days.
Separately, the Palestinian foreign minister told Egypt's state-run news agency that the offensive in the Gaza Strip could endanger Shalit's life and is an impediment to his release.
"This aggression might claim the life of the Israeli soldier," Mahmoud Zahar said on Saturday, hinting that Shalit could be in one of the zones that Israelis are bombing.
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