(Ha'aretz) Soon after nightfall, a bomb went off under the JVT outpost, 200 meters east of the Rafah crossing, killing three soldiers. Immediately afterward, two armed Palestinians penetrated the outpost and shot and killed two other soldiers. Rescue crews dug for a soldier buried under the rubble while under constant Palestinian fire. A senior IDF officer said Hamas appears to have begun a new offensive in Gaza over the past week. This has included the resumption of Kassam launches into Israel, though in limited quantities, and heavy mortar fire on the Gush Katif settlements. The IDF believes Hamas wants to provoke a massive Israeli response to foil efforts by Abbas to calm the violence.
2004-12-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive