One of the three militant groups that hold the captive Israeli soldier hostage announced on Tuesday morning that there would be no more discussions on freeing him after the expiry of an ultimatum to Israel.

"The case is closed," said Abu Muthana, a spokesman of the Islamic Army that kidnapped Gilad Shalit together with Hamas' armed wing al-Qassam Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).

"We won't give any more information about the fate of the soldier," he added.

When asked if the militants would kill the soldier, Abu Muthana said that Moslems would never kill their hostages.

The three militant groups issued an ultimatum on Monday setting a deadline of 6:00 a.m. (3:00 GMT) Tuesday for Israel to free Palestinian prisoners or face the consequences.

But Israel rejected the ultimatum and pressed on with its military offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Abu Mujahed, spokesman of the PRC, said earlier that all efforts to free the captive Israeli soldier had reached a dead end because the occupation government (Israel) still rejects the captors' demands.

Source: Xinhua