Gaza City, Gazy Strip ? The spokesman for one of the Hamas-linked groups holding an Israeli soldier said today that because Israel ignored a deadline to release Palestinian prisoners, the militants won’t release any information about the soldier.

The spokesman, Abu Muthana, would not say whether the soldier is dead or alive.

“We will not give any information that will give the occupation good news or reassurance,” he told The Associated Press.

The militants had set a 6 a.m. deadline (10 p.m. CDT Monday) for Israel to begin freeing the prisoners, implying they would kill Cpl. Gilad Shalit if their demands were not met.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected any negotiations with the militants, and the army pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive. Privately, though, some officials said the government had not ruled out any options to win Shalit’s freedom.

Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes and artillery shells for nearly a week in an unsuccessful effort to force the Hamas-linked militants to release Shalit. It has been building up troops across from northern Gaza, preparing for an invasion. Tanks and troops moved in and out throughout the day and the military said it was carrying out “limited” operations to uncover explosives and tunnels.

A Hamas militant was killed and four were wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza just after midnight, Palestinians said. Israel said its air force targeted Palestinians planting a bomb near soldiers.

Early today, Israeli aircraft hit the student council building at the Islamic University in Gaza City, witnesses said, badly damaging it. No one was hurt. The university is a Hamas stronghold. The military said it hit a “compound used by terror groups for instructing and directing terrorists.”

In the West Bank city of Ramallah early today, Israeli forces arrested three militants said to be involved in the abduction and killing of 18-year-old Israeli settler Eliahu Asheri last week. The military said a fourth suspect was arrested earlier. The kidnapping and killing compounded the tension over the captured soldier. Asheri’s body was found Thursday near Ramallah.

After Shalit was seized in a June 25 raid on an army post that left two comrades dead, his captors demanded Israel free all imprisoned Palestinian women and minors in exchange for information about him.

They later increased their demand to include the release of 1,000 more prisoners.

Egypt has been trying to mediate the crisis, but its efforts have been complicated by confusion over who has the authority on the Palestinian side to make a deal. The Palestinian government says it had nothing to do with the abduction.

The Hamas-linked militants who seized Shalit are presumed to answer to the group’s leaders in Syria, but those in Damascus say they bear no responsibility for the soldier.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia on Monday in efforts to reach a deal over Shalit. Mubarak already has tried to enlist Syria’s help.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he had sent a special envoy to Syria to discuss ways of solving the crisis with President Bashar Assad.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz warned Damascus that he held it responsible for Shalit’s fate because the Syrian government harbored Hamas’ leaders.

Also Monday, Israel closed the Karni cargo crossing into Gaza, citing a security threat, just a day after Israel reopened it so badly needed humanitarian supplies could reach the coastal strip. The crossing is the main gateway for goods to enter Gaza.