The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a small terrorist group associated with Hamas, said yesterday it had nothing to do with the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. This morning, however, a phone caller speaking in its name informed the French news agency AFP that the PRC is holding him. The caller stated that Gilad's Shalit condition is "good."
Shalit was abducted early Sunday morning when an 8-man Hamas Authority cell crawled into an Israeli outpost via an underground tunnel, attacked three Israeli targets, killed two soldiers, and made off with a third back into Gaza.
Virtually all of Israel's political and military establishment, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, said that the incident represented a very grave escalation, and threatened an even graver response.
Prime Minister Olmert phoned the home of Gilad Shalit and told his father Noam of the intense efforts being made on several fronts to return his son home. He said this morning that he had given orders for the army to prepare for an extended military operation in Gaza.
Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler heard from a senior IDF officer in Gaza that the army has prepared very detailed plans for a massive offensive into Gaza, and is waiting for the go-ahead from Olmert.
"The IDF is ready for a three-part offensive in Gaza," the officer said. "It begins with a siege around Gaza, continues with a strike at all infrastructures, including cutting off electricity, and the third stage is to attack all the Hamas leaders, from top to bottom."
Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz have approved the preparations, but have not yet approved their execution. The Foreign Ministry is currently trying to employ diplomatic means to secure the soldier's release, and is contact to this end with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the European Union, and others.
Olmert said yesterday he holds Abu Mazen "personally responsible" for Shalit's safety. The Prime Minister said he would not conduct negotiations with Hamas for the soldier's release.
A major problem facing the IDF, as a Shabak official told the Knesset Law Committee last week, is the dearth of intelligence emanating from Gaza ever since the Disengagement. The Deputy Investigations Department chief of the General Security Service told the committee that the "lack of intelligence in Gaza places us in a very problematic position." This situation contrasts with that in Judea and Samaria, where the army has intelligence sources.
Israel Police is on increased alert throughout the country, in fear of increased terrorist activity while the army's attention is turned towards Gaza. Among the 90 intelligence warnings of possible terrorist attacks - some of which are specific - are reports of attempted kidnappings by cells in Ramallah and Jenin. Another warning involves a plan to shoot or otherwise attack an Israeli politician. Policemen and Border Guardsmen are forbidden, as of this morning, to hitchhike.
Abu Samahadana, head of the PRC, the terror group that says it's holding the soldier Gilad Shalit, was killed in an Israeli air strike several weeks ago.
The European Union has called for Shalit's immediate release.
Shalit was abducted early Sunday morning when an 8-man Hamas Authority cell crawled into an Israeli outpost via an underground tunnel, attacked three Israeli targets, killed two soldiers, and made off with a third back into Gaza.
Virtually all of Israel's political and military establishment, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, said that the incident represented a very grave escalation, and threatened an even graver response.
Prime Minister Olmert phoned the home of Gilad Shalit and told his father Noam of the intense efforts being made on several fronts to return his son home. He said this morning that he had given orders for the army to prepare for an extended military operation in Gaza.
Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler heard from a senior IDF officer in Gaza that the army has prepared very detailed plans for a massive offensive into Gaza, and is waiting for the go-ahead from Olmert.
"The IDF is ready for a three-part offensive in Gaza," the officer said. "It begins with a siege around Gaza, continues with a strike at all infrastructures, including cutting off electricity, and the third stage is to attack all the Hamas leaders, from top to bottom."
Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz have approved the preparations, but have not yet approved their execution. The Foreign Ministry is currently trying to employ diplomatic means to secure the soldier's release, and is contact to this end with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the European Union, and others.
Olmert said yesterday he holds Abu Mazen "personally responsible" for Shalit's safety. The Prime Minister said he would not conduct negotiations with Hamas for the soldier's release.
A major problem facing the IDF, as a Shabak official told the Knesset Law Committee last week, is the dearth of intelligence emanating from Gaza ever since the Disengagement. The Deputy Investigations Department chief of the General Security Service told the committee that the "lack of intelligence in Gaza places us in a very problematic position." This situation contrasts with that in Judea and Samaria, where the army has intelligence sources.
Israel Police is on increased alert throughout the country, in fear of increased terrorist activity while the army's attention is turned towards Gaza. Among the 90 intelligence warnings of possible terrorist attacks - some of which are specific - are reports of attempted kidnappings by cells in Ramallah and Jenin. Another warning involves a plan to shoot or otherwise attack an Israeli politician. Policemen and Border Guardsmen are forbidden, as of this morning, to hitchhike.
Abu Samahadana, head of the PRC, the terror group that says it's holding the soldier Gilad Shalit, was killed in an Israeli air strike several weeks ago.
The European Union has called for Shalit's immediate release.