Israel kills 2 militants; Hamas rocket hits Israeli

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) – An Israeli air strike killed two
Palestinian militants from Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday
after a rocket fired by members of the Islamist group seriously
wounded an Israeli civilian, medics said.

The Israeli army confirmed the strike, saying a helicopter
fired a missile shortly after the men launched a rocket from
northern Gaza. They were the first Hamas fighters killed by
Israel since November. Three militants were also wounded.

The strike came hours after an Israeli man was wounded when
a makeshift Hamas rocket landed near a school in the Israeli
town of Sderot, near the Gaza border. A hospital official said
the man was in serious condition.

Palestinian militants frequently fire rockets into Israel
but seldom cause anything but light damage or injuries. The
last time an Israeli was killed by a rocket strike was last
July.

The killing of the Hamas militants was also the first by
Israel since the ruling Islamist group ended a 16-month truce
on Friday after seven Palestinians, including three children,
were killed on a Gaza beach on a day of Israeli shelling.

Israel has said the killings were a mistake, although it
has not admitted responsibility. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has
expressed his condolences and promised an investigation.

Since ending its truce, Hamas has fired around three dozen
rockets into Israel, mostly toward Sderot, which also happens
to be the hometown of Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz.

Israel has responded by firing scores of artillery shells
into Gaza, the coastal strip it pulled out of last year after
38 years of occupation, and carrying out several air strikes.

Hamas politicians vowed to avenge Israel’s actions.

“Blood for blood and resistance for violence,” Hamas
lawmaker Mushir al-Masri said. “The occupation will realize
that blood of the martyrs is dear… The enemy will pay a
price.”

Some residents in Sderot said they were thinking of
leaving, fearing more rockets, but the mayor urged them not to
go.

“I call on everyone to stay,” Eli Moyal said. “The
situation is hard but we can’t let the bastards in the Gaza
Strip win.”

ESCALATING VIOLENCE

There has been a marked escalation in violence in the past
three days, with Hamas threatening a resumption of the type of
attacks it has spearheaded against Israel since an uprising
began in 2000, including suicide blasts and car bombings.

Hamas, which took over the Palestinian government in March
after winning elections in January, is sworn to Israel’s
destruction and has said negotiations with Israel are
pointless.

The United States and European Union, which consider Hamas
to be a terrorist organization, say the group must recognize
Israel, cease attacks and abide by existing peace agreements if
it wants to be accepted.

Sunday’s violence came as Olmert left on a visit to Britain
and France, where he is expected to push for a strong European
stance against Hamas and to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

The escalation of violence coincides with growing tension
and division within Palestinian politics.

President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement is a Hamas
rival, has called for a referendum on a document that
implicitly recognizes Israel, a move rejected by Hamas.

Polls show, however, that a majority of Palestinians would
back the statehood document in the vote scheduled for July 26,
a result that could put Hamas under further pressure.

As well as the Israeli air strike, another Palestinian
militant was killed on Sunday in a blast in a house in
Jabaliya, a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses
said.

It was unclear what caused the explosion, which some
witnesses said was the result of an Israeli air strike and
others said was a “work accident.” The man killed was a member
of the Islamic Jihad militant group. Israel denied involvement.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul and Corinne Heller
in Jerusalem)