Palestinian Raid Leaves 2 Israelis Dead

Daylight Attack By Militants Kills Civilians, Israeli Army Says

(AP)  Palestinian militants burst into southern Israel and killed two Israeli fuel terminal workers Wednesday in a surprise attack that threatened to set off wider fighting.

Israel rushed forces and tanks across the border into the northern Gaza Strip after the raid. Palestinian officials said four people were killed in tank shelling and an Israeli airstrike on a car carrying militants near Gaza City.

Islamic Jihad and a smaller armed faction, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility for the raid at the Nahal Oz terminal, just across the border from Gaza. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Hamas militants, who control Gaza, were "responsible and will be held accountable."

The Popular Resistance Committees has close ties with Hamas.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, praised the attack as "heroic and courageous." He said Hamas was not responsible but affirmed his group's support for "resistance."

Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmad called the raid a "unique and complicated operation." He said details would be released later, but Israeli media said the militants had fired a series of mortar shells before the infiltration to divert Israel's attention.

Channel 2 TV said the militants cut through a border fence to enter Israeli territory, killed two workers at the fuel terminal, and set fuel depots afire.

Two attackers were killed as troops returned fire, but others fled back into Gaza, the Israeli military said.

Plumes of smoke billowed up from the area around Nahal Oz, the sole conduit of fuel to Gaza's 1.4 million residents. Israel cordoned off the area, and police and emergency service reinforcements rushed there.

Residents of nearby border communities hunkered down in their homes, even after the violence subsided.

Islamic Jihad said one gunman was killed when Israeli aircraft struck outside Gaza City shortly after the raid. Tank fire in the area killed three civilians, and wounded 10, Palestinian hospital officials said.

The military said the tank fire killed two militants.

Munther Rahmi, a worker on the Palestinian side of the border, said he saw Israeli tanks crossing into Gaza.

"We are surrounded by tanks. It's a war out there," he said.

The attack upset a period of calm after a broad Israeli military offensive that killed more than 120 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians. Since the offensive ended in early March, Egypt has been trying to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Although violence had subsided, tensions have been increasing in Gaza, whose 1.4 million residents have been confined to the territory since Hamas wrested control there in June.

On Tuesday, Hamas threatened to burst across the Israeli border to end Israel's blockade of Gaza, imposed after the militant group's takeover.

A Hamas militant and an Israeli soldier were killed in earlier clashes in southern Gaza Wednesday. The military said it launched a brief ground operation and airstrikes there in response to shooting attacks and other anti-Israel activity.

Last week, an aide to Israel's public security minister was wounded by a Palestinian gunman as he and the minister toured an observation point overlooking Gaza with a group of Canadian tourists.

[p-syrus]

I''''d like to hear more of the Palestinian side of this conflict to undersatnd it more. I know they want Israel out of the Palestinian side. Do Palestinians want israel out of Israels side of the border also or do just certain factions of Palestinians?

Posted by sillywilly4


Israel was created by apportioning a majority of the area of the former province of Palestine as a jewish state. This was done by western governments (British Mandate) in fullfillment of promises made to western zionists and as an attempt to appease jewish terrorist groups of the time.

The principle beneficiaries of this "land grant" were western jews who had recently immigrated to palestine in hopes of creating a jewish state.

This creation of a jewish state was done despite the jewish population being a minority of the population in the affected area AND without the agreement of the majority palestinian arab population in the area partitioned.

Since that time arab & muslim populations have been at best "sceptical" of western involvement in the affairs of the middle east.

Try reading up on Palestinian history in the early 20th century.

[kennedy7955]

The USA should cut off all aid and support to both sides and leave until there is a settlement - of which we should have no part.

[prinzowhales]

Mark Regev, if you will remember, is the former spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington who said--with the spy scandals going strong and Jonathan Pollard in jail for spying for the Zionist state--that "Israel does not spy on the United States." An obvious, blatant lie.

The truth about the event has yet to come out. This is where the UN should be...why aren''t they there?-- to stop the mortar strikes, stop the incursions and insure that food, suppliles and medicines reach this area.