Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the ruling Hamas movement denied on Tuesday intentions to kill an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza.

Abu Obaida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, made the denial to the press, while warning that the life of the captured Corporal Gilad Shalit would be endangered if Israel launched an offensive into the Gaza Strip.

He added that the goals behind capturing Shalit were to exchange him for Palestinian prisoners and the captors can keep him hostage for months and years if necessary.

Hamas and two smaller factions seized Shalit from his military base outside Gaza Strip in June 2006.

Egyptian mediators work to secure a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the militants, but the talks are progressing slowly.

Earlier press reports said that Hamas had threatened to kill the hostage if Israel went ahead with its threats to unleash a military operation in Gaza.

Israel says Gaza offensive aims at curbing the increasing rockets that militants fire from the Palestinian territories into its lands.

"Such operation will cost Israel too much," said Abu Obaida, criticizing calls by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop the rocket attacks.

Source: Xinhua