A Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) spokesman threatened on Wednesday to kill a Jewish settler, believed to be held by PRC militants in the West Bank, if Israel continues offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed Abdel Al, also known as Abu Abeer, said that militants kidnapped a settler called Eliyahu Pinchas Asheri, who attends an Israeli military college in the West Bank settlement of Itamar.

Also in the Gaza Strip, the PRC and the Islamic Army, an affiliated group to the PRC, together with Hamas, raided an Israeli army post on Sunday, killing two soldiers and capturing one.

In response, Israel launched at predawn Wednesday a retaliatory offensive against the Gaza Strip to pressurize militant groups to free the abducted soldier.

So far, Israeli warplanes have destroyed two main bridges, a power plant and a number of main roads in southern Gaza City.

Israel says it wants to divide the strip into two parts to prevent militants from transporting the soldier in the strip.

For his part, spokesman of Hamas Izeldein al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaida, warned Israel against shelling Palestinian cities and camps.

"The captive soldier might be inside any house. Israel has to search for his remains, if it hits Palestinian house," said Abu Obaida, who refused to give information about the soldier.

The three militant groups demanded that Israel release Palestinian women and children prisoners in exchange for release of Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Source: Xinhua