CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt told Palestinian officials Friday it is delaying ceasefire talks in Cairo after Israel said militants captured one of its soldiers in Gaza, a senior Islamic Jihad official said.

“The Egyptians contacted the Islamic Jihad and said Israel told them that a soldier has been captured,” the group’s deputy leader Ziad al-Nakhale told AFP. “The talks have postponed.”

Israeli forces in the southern Gaza Strip are searching for a missing soldier they fear may have been captured by militants during clashes on Friday, the army said.

“Initial indications suggest that a soldier has been abducted by terrorists,” a statement said. “The Israel Defence Forces are currently conducting intelligence efforts and extensive searches in order to locate the missing soldier.”