JERUSALEM, July 29 (UPI) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres Sunday dismissed a report of the death of one of two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were captured last summer. A report surfaced Saturday that one of the captives had died.
"These are cheap traders, the State of Israel is acting under the assumption that both soldiers are still alive," Peres said while visiting a military recruitment center in Tel Hashomer.
Peres told dozens of new recruits Israelis must do more to support their army.
"Expressing disrespect and pettiness are harmful to the army," he said. "We need to return to the consensus where all of Israel's society is behind the army."
Recent statistics show 7 percent of eligible young adults did not register for military service for health reasons, another 4 percent avoided service because they live abroad and 4 percent were barred because of criminal records.
