Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 28, 2007

Israeli Troops Kill 3 Palestinian Militants on Gaza Border
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=174009B:A6F02AD83191E160097C5C9904B81DA99574F7DCC14957C0 Each side accusing
the other of violating ceasefire reached at end of November Israeli
forces have killed three Palestinian militants and seriously wounded a
fourth in the Gaza Strip near the border with Israel. As Robert Berger
reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, each side is accusing the other
of violating the ceasefire reached at the end of the November.







Palestinian relatives of Hamas militant Abdul Halem al-Fayomi, react
at the family house during his funeral in Gaza City, 28 Apr 2007The
Israeli army says troops opened fire on a group of armed Palestinians
who were planting explosives Saturday near Gaza's border fence with
Israel. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which is the senior party in
a Palestinian coalition government, confirmed that its fighters were
killed while on a "mission for the jihad."

Hamas condemned Israel for the incident, which is putting further
strain on a shaky five-month-old ceasefire. Earlier in the week, on
Israeli Independence Day, Hamas fired a barrage of mortars and rockets
across the border for the first time since the truce began. The group
said it was pulling out of the truce after Israel killed nine
Palestinians, mostly militants, in several raids in the West Bank.

The Hamas attack prompted Israel to change its policy and approve
limited pinpoint strikes against Palestinians carrying out rocket or
mortar attacks or planting bombs in Gaza. Israeli spokeswoman Miri
Eisen.

"Israel will not sit idle while the Hamas-led terrorist government of
the Palestinian Authority tries to reconcile terrorism together with
the fruits that they get from the fact that they're part of the
Palestinian unity government," she said.

Hamas joined a unity government with moderate President Mahmoud Abbas
in March in a bid to end international sanctions that have crippled
the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Abbas has criticized the attacks by
Palestinian militants, saying they give Israel an excuse to invade
Gaza. Saeb Erekat is a legislator from Fatah, the party headed by Mr.
Abbas.

"Maintaining the ceasefire is a vital Palestinian interest and I hope
people will adhere to this," he said.

But the Hamas military wing accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire
and is promising revenge.


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