Israel confirms invading soldier may have been captured by Hamas

The government of Israel has confirmed that one of the soldiers deployed in the invasion of the Gaza Strip has gone missing, two days after denying claims by Hamas that they had captured an Israeli.

The New York Times reports that Israel believed the missing soldier to be dead, but two days later, no sign of his body has turned up.

It is believed the soldier was taken from an armored personnel carrier after it was destroyed by an anti-tank missile as it made its way through the community of Shejaiya. While the six other troops riding in the vehicle were killed, and their remains accounted for, there has been nothing to indicate the whereabouts of the seventh soldier.

The missing soldier is believed to be a 21-year-old sergeant named Oron Shaul, according to the Times. He was a member of the Golani Brigade and hailed form the northern Israeli town of Poria.

The Times says that the name of the missing soldier provided by Israel corresponds with a name given by Hamas for the soldier they had captured.

Shejaiya, where the possible abduction took place, has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting since renewed violence began less than two weeks ago.

Shejaiya's proximity to the Israeli border has made it a favorite launching pad of Hamas, which maintains an elaborate network of underground tunnels and bunkers throughout Gaza.

The Times reports that the Israeli military has discovered 23 such tunnels and 66 different access points.

Hamas fighters sometimes use these tunnels to cross into Israeli territory and launch attacks on Israeli troops and civilians.

The Times notes that so far more than 550 residents of Gaza have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, artillery, and naval bombardments. The vast majority of those killed have been civilians.

Only one Israeli has died thus far, despite Hamas launching hundreds of rockets at Israel on a daily basis.