Soldiers hurt in Gaza border crossing blast

Hamas militants drove two booby-trapped military vehicles into an Israeli border crossing with Gaza under the cover of morning fog today, detonating one and wounding 13 soldiers in one of Hamas’ most ambitious attempts to target Israelis since Israel’s pullout from Gaza in 2005.

The second booby-trapped vehicle was spotted by troops after the initial explosion and did not go off, the army said. During the attack, other militants fired mortars toward the area to provide cover.

Three Hamas militants were killed in the attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing, which came just hours before the start of the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover. Hamas also dispatched an armoured vehicle to another crossing, but that vehicle was struck by an Israeli missile.

Hamas said it would carry out more attacks to break the blockade of Gaza, imposed after Hamas’ violent takeover of the territory nearly a year ago. Today’s bombing at Kerem Shalom was the fifth attack on Israelis at Gaza passages since last week.

Later today, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car near Kerem Shalom, killing a mechanic for the Hamas police and wounding four people, Palestinian security officials and medics said.

Hamas also organised two protests by women and children near two other Gaza crossings, Erez for passengers and Karni for cargo. Near Erez, scores of women and children marched toward the terminal but stopped about half a mile away. They burned tyres and raised Hamas flags, then dispersed.

In Gaza City, a Hamas leader, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Hamas would carry out more attacks on crossings to break the nearly year-long blockade of the territory. Israel and Egypt have virtually sealed Gaza since the Hamas takeover, allowing only basic supplies in. Kerem Shalom was one of those supply routes.

“These operations are the beginning of the explosions that Hamas has warned of,” said Abu Zuhri. “If the parties don’t intervene quickly to save Gaza and break the siege, what is coming will be greater.”

Hamas later released a farewell video of four attackers. One of the faces was blocked out, suggesting he is still at large.

The video showed the three vehicles Hamas said were used in the attack. One was an armoured personnel carrier, the second resembled an Israeli army jeep and the third was a small sedan. The video showed the three vehicles driving off into the morning fog. The assailants posed for the camera, smiling and toting rifles.

Despite the attacks, Hamas claims it’s ready to reach a truce with Israel on the Gaza border, and Egypt has tried to broker such a deal. Former US President Jimmy Carter, in defiance of US policy, has been meeting with Hamas leaders in recent days in the West Bank and Syria to hear the views of the group.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Hamas is showing disregard for the welfare of Gaza’s residents by attacking the crossings.

“Israel has no illusions as to the true nature of Hamas and as to that organisation’s extremists agenda,” Mr Regev said. “It is not an accident that the international community views Hamas as illegitimate and has officially declared Hamas a terrorist organisation.”

Earlier today, a Hamas militant was killed in a separate incident when Israeli troops raided a neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Late Friday, Islamic Jihad militants fired several rockets from Gaza at the Israeli border town of Sderot, temporarily knocking out power.