World Jewish News

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IDF foils attack at Gaza border; Palestinians report 3 dead

At least three Palestinians were killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops on the Gaza border early Tuesday, Palestinian sources said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, infantry soldiers, tanks and a helicopter foiled an attempted attack, repelling Palestinian militants without Israeli casualties.
The militant group Islamic Jihad said its members had been involved in the incident.
News of the incident follows reports in the Israeli media that the air force bombed targets in Gaza overnight, killing a Hamas militant.
Tensions have run high along the Gaza border in recent weeks. Late last month an IDF officer who was killed in fighting on the edge of the enclave.
Gaza's Hamas rulers have tried to maintain a cease-fire with Israel since the end of the Gaza war in January 2009. However, smaller militant groups sporadically carry out attacks.
Earlier this month, the militant Islamic group indicated it was trying to keep ttacks on Israel in check, following a string of Palestinian rocket assaults on southern Israel and retaliatory Israeli strikes.
Islamic Jihad said that on Sunday, Hamas police detained several of its fighters, along with those from another group, and made them sign pledges that they would not engage in attacks on Israel.
Most of the rocket attacks on Israel had been claimed by groups considered more radical than Hamas. These groups accuse Hamas of going soft on its armed confrontation against Israel.
Last year, Israel carried out a military offensive in Gaza after years of rocket attacks. Since then, Hamas has tried to avoid provoking sweeping Israeli military action and it has not claimed responsibility for any rockets for more than a year.

Haaretz.com