Palestinian gunmen killed three Israeli soldiers in a Gaza Strip raid today, the first time in 11 months of unrest that Palestinian gunmen have successfully penetrated an Israeli army position, the army said.
Israeli troops killed the two Palestinian attackers in the pre-dawn raid, in which another seven Israelis were wounded.
Fearing Israeli military reprisals, Palestinian security forces have evacuated buildings they occupy in the area, Palestinian officials said.
The attack was claimed by a hardline faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), but Israel blamed Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat for the operation.
"It is clear that the operation last night, no matter which organisation claimed responsibility, was carried out with the approval of Mr Yasser Arafat," said Mr Meir Rosen, a close advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The army reacted quickly, cordoning off the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security official said, adding two Israeli helicopters were over-flying the area.
Tanks and armoured jeeps also massed on a crossroads outside Gaza City to block the main road, the official said. The army blockade ran from Khan Yunis to Rafah, on the Egyptian border.
An Israeli tank later blasted an empty Palestinian car after a brief exchange of fire outside the El Bureij refugee camp, Palestinian sources said. No was injured in the incident.
Today’s deaths bring to 739 the number of people killed since the uprising, or intifada, broke out on September 28, including 568 Palestinians and 149 Israelis.
Intense shooting also broke out in the centre of the West Bank town of Hebron, where Israeli tanks smashed two buildings on Thursday after Palestinian snipers shot and injured a Jewish settler child.
Also in the West Bank, there was a minor incursion overnight by Israeli tanks into Palestinian territory in Beit Sahur near Bethelehem, Palestinian security officials said, after gunmen fired on Israeli army positions.
No injuries were reported in either clash.
AFP