AL QUDS, Feb 1: Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz on Sunday said a threat by the Hamas group to kidnap Israeli soldiers strengthened Israel's resolve to go after Islamic militant leaders, a top official said.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the group's spiritual leader, said on Friday there was "no solution for the issue of Palestinian prisoners except capturing soldiers of the enemy and exchanging them for ours."

According to the senior Israeli official, Mofaz told a weekly cabinet meeting: "Yassin's statement makes it more imperative for Israel to attack the heads of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad."

Mofaz stopped short of threatening Yassin by name. Israel made a botched attempt on Yassin's life last September. Israel has pursued a track-and-kill policy against militant leaders, killing dozens since the start of a Palestinian uprising.

Yassin's comments came a day after Israel released hundreds of jailed Arabs, mostly Palestinians, in return for a kidnapped Israeli and three dead soldiers in a swap with Hezbollah. -Reuters