CAIRO: Israeli soldiers shot and killed at least one Palestinian and wounded two others in a gun fight early Tuesday morning near the southern Gaza Strip border, officials told Bikya Masr via telephone. A doctor inside the al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza, said taht they could confirm at least one Palestinian fighter was dead and others were in critical condition after the 5 am raid by the Israeli military. A military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv told the German press agency DPA that “Israeli soldiers patrolling the Israeli side of the border spotted a group of militants who were planting explosives right near the southern Gaza Strip crossing of Kissufim.” The official added that after the soldiers had identified “a number” of the Palestinians they opened fire, which resulted in at least one death. According to eye witnesses, the army received air support from helicopter gunships and backing from an armored brigade. A Palestinian militant faction, the Islamic Jihad, identified the dead militant and the injured as members of its armed wing, the al-Quds Brigades. The group said in a leaflet faxed to reporters that militants traded fire with an Israeli army force east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the south-central area of the coastal enclave. The Islamic Jihad said the military, backed by an Israeli helicopter, had fired several shells at the area, resulting in the militants shooting at the soldiers. “Our militants had a fierce gunbattle with the army force which tried to storm the area,” said the leaflet, claiming that “our militants managed to hurt a number of the soldiers.” The Israeli army reported no injuries among its own troops, despite reports from the ground by Palestinian fighters. BM
