Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinians in Gaza

GAZA: Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian gunmen on Sunday, one who tried to infiltrate a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip and another in a gun battle in the West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli military sources said.

The sources said that Israeli soldiers shot dead one gunman and were chasing another who tried to infiltrate the Kfar Darom settlement in the central sector of the coastal strip. Palestinian witnesses heard at least two explosions caused by mortars being fired by militants at the settlement, which apparently caused no injury. A Jewish settler was wounded in mortar shelling earlier on Sunday.

There were no immediate Palestinian claims of responsibility for the shooting near Kfar Darom.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian activist was killed and another was injured after clashes with Israeli troops in the northern West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian security sources and the Israeli army said.

The Palestinians identified the dead man as 24-year-old Amar Rawadri, a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the incident, and said another Palestinian was injured, and five were arrested, taking the total number of arrests in Jenin since the current operation began to 16.

The Palestinian sources also said an activist was injured, but gave the number of arrests as three, all members of the Al Aqsa Brigades.

They said the casualties and arrests occurred during an exchange of automatic arms fire with Israeli troops, who have been operating in Jenin for five days.

“The Palestinian was killed after he opened fire on an army patrol, operating in Jenin since Wednesday to destroy the terrorist infrastructure,” the Israeli spokesman said. The death brings to 4,540 the number of people reported killed since the start of the Palestinian intifada in September 2000. Of the total, 3,509 have been Palestinians and 957 Israelis. In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, an Israeli military source said an Israeli was injured early on Sunday when a mortar round was fired into the Gush Katif settlement.

Several mortars had been fired into Gush Katif, which is in the south of the Gaza Strip, during the night, but the others caused no casualties, the source said, adding that Israeli forces fired back with automatic weapons. The injured Israeli was taken to a hospital in the Israeli town of Beersheba. agencies

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