U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is “alarmed” by the recent events in Gaza and Israel, including the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday. Annan “calls for the safe and immediate release of the captured soldier,” Dujarric told reporters. Palestinian militants apparently tunneled out of Gaza and into Israel, killing two soldiers and taking an Israeli tank gunner. The groups who took the soldier are demanding that Palestinian women and children be released from jails in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected any negotiations on Palestinian prisoners, and the Israeli military prepared for major operations in Gaza. “The secretary-general urges all parties to exercise restraint at this grave moment, and to take all possible steps to avoid further escalation and bloodshed,” Dujarric said.
