Israeli troops kill Hamas gunman in Gaza clashes

Israeli troops killed a Hamas gunman and wounded three others today, Palestinian medics said, in the first armed clash in the…

Israeli troops killed a Hamas gunman and wounded three others today, Palestinian medics said, in the first armed clash in the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire was declared in the territory in June

An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops had entered the coastal enclave to destroy a tunnel that Gaza militants had dug under the border to try to abduct soldiers.

"Security forces uncovered a 250-metre-long tunnel intended for immediate use to abduct Israeli soldiers into the Gaza Strip and a special force is currently acting to thwart this action," she said.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the raid proved that Israel was not interested in continuing the ceasefire although he stopped short of saying outright that Hamas would abandon it.

"The aggression is a major violation of the agreement and it shows that the occupation (Israel) is not interested in continuing it. If such a raids are repeated, fighting will not be limited only to the area east of central Gaza Strip," Abu Zuhri said. 

The Israeli army spokeswoman said there was no intention to end the ceasefire.

The Hamas gunman who was killed was identified as Mazen Seada, a senior commander in central Gaza. Hamas said he was killed while firing mortar bombs at the Israeli troops. 

Hamas said gunmen spotted Israeli troops approaching and fired at them before an unmanned aerial drone launched a rocket into the area. Hamas gunmen then began to fire mortar bombs. 

The rocket launch from an Israeli aircraft into Gaza was the first since the ceasefire between Israel and Islamist Hamas which controls the coastal enclave came into effect on June 19. It has largely held since then.
Gaza militants have occasionally launched makeshift rockets into southern Israel in violation of the ceasefire and this has prompted Israel to temporarily closed its borders with Gaza in response.

Reuters