Five Palestinians, including a woman and three teenagers, were killed by the Israel Defense Forces fire yesterday in two separate incidents. The IDF says the teens were killed while picking up Qassam rocket launchers in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

The teenagers were spotted near the rocket launchers by the IDF shortly after Sderot was hit by Qassams yesterday morning. Palestinian sources said the IDF fired a rocket at the boys, Sami Dakhruj, Ala Dakhruj and Iad Abu Rashad, all 14 to 16 years old, who were Bedouin who wanted to take the launchers to sell. The army said that the terror organizations are using teens for the express purpose of collecting the launchers so their operators are not injured in doing so.

	Advertisement

In the second incident, 35-year-old Atmad Mamar and a member of her family, Mohammad Mamar, 24, who the army said was armed, were killed when an exchange of fire broke out after a SWAT team and IDF forces surrounded the houses of Hamas activists in the eastern part of Rafah. Four Palestinians were arrested in the raid and transfered to the custody of the Shin Bet security services. The IDF said numerous weapons were confiscated in the raid.

At least eight Palestinians were injured in the cross fire, among the a father and his two children.

The IDF has been conducting many more arrest sweeps in the Gaza Strip recently, which has increased the quality of its intelligence on the activities of terror organizations in the area. Special forces are taking part in the raids, among them the Duvdevan undercover unit, which operated in the Gaza Strip for the first time a month ago. Duvdevan had been deployed only in the West Bank.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided yesterday to open the Rafah crossing for two days to Palestinians. About 10,000 Palestinians have been stranded on the Egyptian side since Israel closed the crossing following the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit at the end of June. Peretz also approved the security establishment's recommendation for a closure of the West Bank during Rosh Hashanah.