Militants claim to kidnap soldier in West Bank

GAZA, Jun 30 (Reuters) Palestinian militants from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades today said that they had kidnapped an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, but presented no evidence to support the claim.

The army said it was checking the report.

The group, part of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, made the claim in the Gaza Strip, where militants have been holding an Israeli soldier since Sunday.

It said the soldier was 22 years old and had been abducted in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The group has made hoax claims to have kidnapped Israelis in the past.

Another faction, the Popular Resistance Committees, killed an 18-year-old Jewish settler in the West Bank this week after saying it had kidnapped him.

Reuters SHB VV1840