Last update - 00:00 11/02/2008
Palestinians: Two civilians wounded in IAF strike in southern Gaza
By Yuval Azoulay and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents
The Israel Air Force carried out an air strike Monday in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, wounding two civilians, Palestinian sources said.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the air strike, saying it targeted a car carrying members of Hamas' military wing. The army said the car was hit in the strike.
Meanwhile, Palestinian militants fired two Qassam rockets at Israel, causing no damage or injuries.
On Saturday, two brothers, Osher and Rami Twito, were seriously wounded in a Qassam rocket barrage on the western Negev town of Sderot. Osher, 8, lost a leg as the result of the attack, and is still undergoing surgical procedures.
The fighting came as Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed Monday that Israel would not be deterred from taking the necessary military action to restore security to the residents of the Qassam rocket-bombarded south.
Also Monday, Hamas officials said the group's leaders had scaled back their public appearances and stepped up other security measures, fearing Israeli assassination attempts in response to a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.
The IDF and the Shin Bet internal security service are preparing to step up assassinations against key Hamas figures in the Gaza Strip in response to the continued Qassam rocket attacks against Sderot.
The renewed campaign of targeted killings is not likely, at this stage, to include members of the Hamas political leadership.
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