Last update - 00:00 08/08/2007
IDF kills 3 Palestinian gunmen in two separate Gaza incidents
By the Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot and killed three Palestinian militants near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip in two separate incidents on Wednesday, Palestinian and Israeli officials reported.
The Islamic militant Hamas group that controls Gaza said all three dead men were members.
Early in Wednesday, IDF troops operating in Gaza identified two militants near the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip near the Karni border crossing into Israel, IDF sources said. The soldiers briefly entered the Gaza Strip, exchanged fire with the militants and killed them.
Palestinian doctors confirmed that two men in Hamas uniforms had arrived dead at the hospital.
In the second incident, soldiers opened fire at two armed men approaching the fence near the Erez border crossing north of Karni, hitting one, the army said.
Hamas said one militant was killed and two others were wounded.
In a separate incident overnight Tuesday, an IDF solider was lightly wounded in clashes with militants in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israel Radio reported. He was quickly evacuated to a nearby hospital.
The soldier was taking part in an arrest raid in the city, in which 13 wanted militants were arrested. During the raids, explosive devices were hurled toward the soldiers and they were fired upon, Israel Radio reported.