Bomber Kills Israeli At Checkpoint

Meanwhile, Al Qaeda Claims It Fired Rockets Into Northern Israel

(CBS/AP) 
In August, al Qaeda in Iraq said it was behind a rocket attack in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba that killed a Jordanian soldier. One of the three rockets in the assault landed in neighboring Israel, causing no casualties .

Al Qaeda also claimed responsibility for the November 2002 suicide bombing of a hotel frequented by Israelis in Kenya that killed 15 people, including three Israelis. The same day, al Qaeda militants tried to shoot down a chartered Israeli plane leaving a nearby airport.

Israel had blamed Tuesday's rocket attack on a radical Palestinian militia and bombed one of its bases near Beirut. Israeli officials would not immediate comment on the al Qaeda statement.

The U.S. State Department said it could not corroborate the al Qaeda claim, but spokesman Adam Ereli said the attacks underscored the need "for Syria and Iran to stop funneling arms and training and support to terrorist groups in southern Lebanon."

In Gaza, Palestinian officials and militant groups condemned Wednesday's abduction of British aid worker Kate Burton, 25, and her parents, but were unable to find the kidnappers or the victims.

"We are continuing our search efforts, and we will not stop until the British family is safely returned," said Gaza police chief Alaa Hosni. Palestinian security set up roadblocks in Rafah and the nearby town of Khan Younis to inspect traffic moving through the area.

The kidnapping was the latest in a string of abductions of foreigners in recent months. In most cases, the kidnappers sought jobs in Palestinian security forces, the release of imprisoned relatives or other personal matters. In all cases, the victims were released unharmed.

Abbas' critics have accused him of giving in to kidnappers' demands, encouraging more abductions.