Israel foiled an attempt to kidnap Israeli soldiers for the purpose of swapping Palestinian prisoners two and a half weeks ago, local newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.

Citing security sources, the Israeli leading newspaper said that two members of a Palestinian militant group, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), were arrested two and a half weeks ago for trying to infiltrate Israel via Egypt in a bid to carry out the kidnapping.

According to the report, during the interrogation, the detainees admitted that they intended to kidnap Israeli soldiers as bargaining chips for prisoners and to carry out attacks at Israelis.

The two Palestinians told the Israeli security service Shin Bet that they were sent by Jamal Abu Samhadana, a PRC leader in Gaza who was killed by the Israel Defense Forces about a month ago.

Israeli security officials denounced that the PRC has ignored the "calm" period and has not ceased carrying out attacks against Israel, including suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and explosive device and shooting attacks.

However, many of the attacks were conducted through the funding and direction of the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), with the PRC working as Hamas' front operational arm, added the officials.

The PRC was also allegedly behind two kidnapping attacks carried out last week, the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and murder of Eliyahu Asheri, an 18-year-old settler in West Bank.

Source: Xinhua