BEIRUT, July 28 (Xinhua) -- One of the two Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah for more than a year has died and the other is still alive, daily an-Nahar reported Saturday.

    An-Nahar quoted unnamed German diplomatic sources as saying that officials in Berlin tried to obtain "some information" from Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement leader Michael Aoun about the two Israeli soldiers.

    The two Israeli soldiers -- Ehud Goldwaser, 31, and Eldad Regev,26 -- were kidnapped by Hezbollah operatives in a cross-border raid on July 12, 2006 which sparked a 34-day devastating war with Israel.

    "Aoun refused to get involved in this issue. However, security agencies there understood that one of the two prisoners is still alive and the second had passed away," the report said without elaboration.

    Aoun is allied with Hezbollah, which launched a campaign against Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's majority government late last year.

    Hezbollah had said it was prepared to swap them for Lebanese and Arab prisoners held by Israel.