Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal insisted on Monday that Israel release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

Mashaal, who is living in Damascus in exile, told a news conference that the Palestinians were united on insisting on " swapping the abducted Israeli soldier with prisoners held in the Zionist enemy's jails."

He also said that the Israeli soldier, who was kidnapped on June 25 by Palestinian militants from three groups including Hamas ' armed wing, would be treated as a "prisoner of war" and would be kept alive.

"The laws of prisoners of war are applicable" in the case of the soldier and "our values require us to protect his life," he said.

In addition, the top Hamas leader accused Israel of exporting the hostage crisis to Syria and dismissed the threat by Israel for possible assassinations on Hamas leaders as "nothing new".

Israel has repeatedly accused Damascus of supporting Palestinian militants behind the abduction of the Israeli soldier and threatened to kill Hamas leaders based in Syria including Mashaal.

As Israeli troops started on June 28 a broad ground offensive in Gaza to free the kidnapped soldier, Israeli military planes flew low over a residence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in northern Syria in a bid to press Damascus to help win the soldier's freedom.

Syrian air defenses opened fire at the Israeli aircraft.

Source: Xinhua