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An Israel Air Force F-15 warplane.
(Daniel Bar-On / Jini)
Last update - 20:15 14/02/2009
Explosive device detonates while IDF soldiers patrol Gaza border
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent, News Agencies and Haaretz Service
Tags: israel news, gaza strip 

An explosive device detonated on Saturday near Israel Defense Forces soldiers patrolling along the border with Gaza.

No injuries or damage were reported in the blast.

The Israel Air Force bombed two Hamas weapons manufacturing facilities in the northern Gaza Strip late Friday, hours after an IAF strike killed one Palestinian militant and critically wounded another east of Khan Younis.
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Palestinian sources reported that six people had been wounded in the attack.

The IDF spokesman's office issued a statement saying that IAF fighter planes had also hit four tunnels used for arms smuggling along the Gaza-Egypt border. Secondary explosions were noticeable following part of the strikes, proving the presence of weapons and munitions, the statement said.

Earlier Friday, the IDF said the IAF strike near Khan Younis had targeted two Islamic Jihad militants who were planning a terror attack within Israel.

The strike was the result of a joint operation of the IDF and the Shin Bet Security Service, the IDF spokesman said.

The Israeli attacks on Friday came in response to ongoing rocket and mortar shell fire at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Two Qassam rockets and a mortar shell exploded in the western Negev Friday afternoon, causing no casualties or damages.

One of the rockets struck an open area in the Eshkol region and about an hour later another hit near the city of Sderot.

The rocket and mortar attacks came as a longer-term, Egyptian-mediated truce was expected in the next few days to cement a January 18 truce that ended an Israeli offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza last month.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Rocket fire has continued sporadically since Israel and Hamas unilaterally declared cease-fires after 22 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Friday's rocket fire was the first such attack since Wednesday, when militants fired at least two mortar shells at Israel. In response to that attack, Israel Air Force plans targeted a Hamas post in the southern Gaza Strip, causing no casualties.

Related articles:
  • IDF strikes Hamas post in south Gaza, after day of mortar fire
  • Israel: Two-thirds of Palestinians killed in Gaza fighting were terrorists
  • Gaza militants fire four mortar shells at western Negev
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      1.   "Raindrops keep fallin on my head..." 08:37  |  Mark 13/02/09
      2.   respond IAF 08:39  |  vik 13/02/09
      3.   The retribution game is always the same: 10:07  |  S 13/02/09
      4.   And how many IAF missiles 10:33  |  Dav 13/02/09
      5.   To Dav; not enough 16:23  |  Father Emanuel 13/02/09
      6.   killing militants / terroristim 17:48  |  Akiva P 13/02/09
      7.   Thank you, IDF 18:47  |  judith 13/02/09
      8.   dav 19:08  |  j 13/02/09
      9.   Israel doesn`t need any truce with HAMASTAN 19:19  |  Vittorio 13/02/09
      10.   #5, Hey, "Father Emanuel"... 19:40  |  Silvienne 13/02/09
      11.   `Militants` 19:52  |  Peter 13/02/09
      12.   Are these before-the-truce, during-the-truce or after-the-truce 19:56  |  Nemesis 13/02/09
      13.   Dav, even the UN is starting to see through the equivalence trick 19:58  |  Nemesis 13/02/09
      14.   Israel Has To Go back In to Gaza 20:53  |  Baruch Gold 13/02/09
      15.   Dav: You better offer your brethren to stop terror activity...... 21:32  |  Vittorio 13/02/09
      16.   #3 Dav 21:45  |  Yonatan 13/02/09
      17.   #^ Baruch Gold - OKm we will, provided 21:47  |  Yonatan 13/02/09
      18.   to # 4. 21:48  |  Antonio da Silva 13/02/09
      19.   #16, Yonatan... 23:19  |  Silvienne 13/02/09
      20.   #17, Antonio... 23:26  |  Silvienne 13/02/09
      21.   Militants? 23:51  |  Alison 13/02/09
      22.   #3 "S", the retribution game 00:56  |  Conroy 14/02/09
      23.   Antonio da Silva 05:30  |  Jasper 14/02/09
      24.   #3SThe movie version is always thrilling-it`s not fun 10:01  |  Susanna/shoshana 14/02/09
      25.   #22conroy,so what`s keeping BIBI-the numbers are with him. 10:05  |  Susanna/shoshana 14/02/09
      26.   IAF hits Gaza: why now you ask? I will tell you... 16:04  |  Avi 14/02/09
      27.   #19 To Silvienne ignoring ground facts 16:19  |  Urani Diot 14/02/09
      28.   complaint for Haaretz editor 21:18  |  Gordon M. 14/02/09
      29.   What are you thinking? 23:22  |  Peter 14/02/09
      30.   just get it over with already 03:04  |  Sam 15/02/09
      31.   when will they stop 03:13  |  momo 15/02/09
      32.   An explosive device detonated 03:38  |  steve 15/02/09
      33.   This IAF attack is an outrageous use of military power 05:58  |  Dutch 15/02/09
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