Israeli aircraft strikes Hamas militants

AN Israeli aircraft yesterday fired at a group of Hamas militants who were about to shoot mortar shells at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, a move which threatened a fragile ceasefire declared in February.

The airstrike came minutes after militants fired four mortar shells at the Gush Katif settlement bloc. The army said it spotted two Palestinians preparing to fire more mortars when it attacked.

Hamas said one of its members was critically wounded while conducting a "holy mission". After the airstrike, militants fired a fifth mortar shell, the army said.

The mortar fire was in apparent retaliation for Israel's killing earlier yesterday of a militant near the edge of the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza. Military officials said the Palestinians fired rifles and aimed anti-tank grenades at Israeli soldiers, who shot back.

Residents identified the dead man as a Hamas member.

There has been a sharp drop in fighting since the truce was declared by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, although there have been sporadic flare-ups in violence. Israel has repeatedly said it reserves the right to respond to attacks that Palestinian security forces fail to prevent.

"What do you expect us to do if they are attacking us?" said Raanan Gissin, a spokesperson for Sharon.

Such violent incidents have been rare since the cease-fire took effect February 8, and the two sides have stepped up co-operation on security matters. However, Israel has resisted calls to resume peace talks until the Palestinians take tougher action against militants.

Before yesterday, Israel had not responded to a barrage of mortar and rocket attacks aimed at the settlements in recent weeks, prompting strong criticism from the residents, who said the government was leaving them defenceless.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said the airstrike was the latest in a "series of Israeli escalations," and the group reserved the right to retaliate. However, he did not call off the ceasefire.

Israel is preparing to withdraw from Gaza in August, uprooting all 21 settlements there, and says it wants to avoid clashes with the Palestinians during the evacuation. At the same time, Israel has pledged harsh retaliation if settlers or troops are attacked during the operation.

Israel is also bracing for the possibility of violence from the settlers, who strongly oppose the pullout.

Earlier this week, police arrested more than 300 protesters who blocked highways, tying up traffic throughout the country.