Militants claim to hold third Israeli captive

Militants allied with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party said today they were holding a third Israeli captive.

A statement obtained by The Associated Press and signed by Abu Fouad, spokesman for the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Gaza, said the group was holding an unidentified 62-year-old Israeli from the central city of Rishon Lezion.

The statement said the man was kidnapped on Monday and that more evidence would be released later.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police had a report of a missing 62-year-old man who disappeared on Monday. He identified the man as Noah Moskovitch, and said police were treating his disappearance as a “missing person” case.

He had no further details.

On Sunday, Palestinian militants affiliated with the Palestinian government’s ruling Hamas party captured an Israeli soldier and were holding him hostage.

A group with strong ties to Hamas said yesterday it was holding a missing Israeli teen from the West Bank.

Police are treating Eliahu Asheri, 18, as a “missing person,” too, though security officials say there were “rising fears” he might have been kidnapped.