Israeli troops killed two Palestinians Tuesday morning near the Kissufim crossing at the entrance to Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.
The two Palestinians were planning to carry out an attack in the Gaza Strip, the radio said, and were killed after a prolonged manhunt.
The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, claimed this operation. In a statement, the group identified the two slain fighters as Ahmad Jaber Ayesh, 20, and Tamer Abdel Nabi Aaramana, 19 and said they were acting in response to an Israeli air strike on Gaza City.
It said the group's fighters carried out "a heroic attack" in which they "succeeded in infiltrating the Jewish settlement of Kisufim east of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip at dawn." "We assert that this operation is part of the response to the Gaza massacre, to prove that our people has chosen jihad (holy war) and resistance," it said.
Palestinians fired at Israeli posts in the Gaza Strip in dozens of shooting attacks overnight, and a mortar was fired at a Gaza settlement. There were no injuries in these incidents, the radio said.
In the West Bank, Israeli troops killed three Palestinians near Nablus. According to Israel's Army Radio, the three were apparently members of the cell that carried out an attack on the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel last week.
The Palestinians were dressed in Israeli military uniforms and carried rifles and grenades. Israeli troops were searching the area south-west of Nablus for more Palestinians, the report said.
Israeli forces arrested seven wanted Palestinians Monday night and early Tuesday. The Palestinians have been taken for questioning. The Palestinians are accused of plotting attacks in Israel, according to the radio.
The radio also said that security forces throughout the country remain on high alert Tuesday due to warnings of planned attacks. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
