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Last update - 13:37 08/09/2007
IDF kills 10 Gaza militants; 6 die in bid to kidnap soldier
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies

The Israel Defense Forces killed 10 Palestinian militants Thursday in a series of clashes in the Gaza Strip, including six who died in what the IDF said was an attempt to kidnap an Israeli soldier.

The six were killed in an Israel Air Force missile strike on their vehicle as it approached an area of the security fence in central Gaza.

According to the army, the militants were trying to infiltrate Israel in order to strike an IDF post.

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The missile scored a direct hit on a truck carrying the six, who were members of Islamic Jihad and the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

An IDF statement said that there were two vehicles involved in the attack, one of which "contained hundreds of kilograms of explosives and was intended to explode inside Israel."

"The planned attack included the taking over of an IDF post and the abduction of an IDF soldier," the army statement said.

IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was abducted by Gaza militants in a cross-border attack in June last year. He has been held by Hamas ever since.

Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades had earlier Thursday claimed responsibility for an attack on an IDF post that never occurred, but was similar in nature to the one foiled later in the day.

The groups had said that two vehicles carrying militants had smashed through the border fence between Gaza and Israel, sparking fierce clashes with the IDF.

Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed issued a statement saying a pickup truck driven by militants had broken through the fence, clearing the way for an armored jeep.

The statement also said that the truck had blown up inside an IDF base, and that militants inside the jeep had attacked IDF troops with light arms and hand grenades.

In the course of the clashes, an IDF watchtower was blown up, the statement said.

Four militants killed in southern Gaza

On Thursday morning, three Palestinian militants were killed and six others wounded in an IDF strike in southern Gaza.

Two of the three were from Hamas, while the third belonged to Islamic Jihad.

The attack came as IDF troops backed by tanks and bulldozers moved a kilometer inside the strip to strike at Palestinian militants.

The IDF said troops inside Gaza opened fire at a group of militants who approached them, sparking a gunbattle.

Dr. Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian Health Ministry reported shrapnel wounds consistent with heavy artillery fire. Hamas said the militants were targeted either by a tank shell or missile fire from the air.

An IDF shell killed a Palestinian militant in the same area Thursday afternoon.

Also Thursday, IDF undercover troops arrested a senior Islamic Jihad militant in the West Bank city of Jenin.

An 11-year-old Palestinian boy was seriously wounded during the operation, after Palestinians began throwing rocks at the troops, who responded by firing rubber bullets. The boy was hit in the head by a rubber bullet.

The boy was evacuated by IDF helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

According to Israel Radio, the militant, Ahmed Salah, was armed with an assault rifle and two suicide belts when he was arrested. He put up no resistance, and led troops to his vehicle, in which some 30 explosive devices were found. IDF sappers detonated the explosive devices in a controlled manner.
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  1.   Good job IDF, keep it up! May the Allmighty 13:37  |  Man deVoshkes 06/09/07
  2.   how charming 13:49  |  alan 06/09/07
  3.   why not call them what they are? 14:26  |  isaac 06/09/07
  4.   3 Islamofascists killed, EXCELLENT 15:02  |  maurice 06/09/07
  5.   Oh happy day, 3 terrorists eliminated 15:03  |  Jean 06/09/07
  6.   While Abbass snores 16:28  |  MA 06/09/07
  7.   Crashing through a barrier and getting killed is `infiltration"? 16:43  |  redmike 06/09/07
  8.   Fatah 16:45  |  Joseph 06/09/07
  9.   Only the Jews would be 16:57  |  Blama 06/09/07
  10.   hamas strikes 17:03  |  scanadu 06/09/07
  11.   3 others terrorists killed, bravo IAF 17:03  |  maurice 06/09/07
  12.   Tell it like it is 17:04  |  Ron 06/09/07
  13.   IJ leader put up no resistance? 17:07  |  Nik Miller 06/09/07
  14.   "Fatah Al Aqsa took responsibilty" 17:16  |  Sam 06/09/07
  15.   Always the same story from the IDF... 18:18  |  Silvienne 06/09/07
  16.   #6 18:53  |  B 06/09/07
  17.   Why does IDF have to issue a comment for every operation?... 19:08  |  bat yam 06/09/07
  18.   What are you waiting for? Cut off EVERYTHING. Resume, when Shalit 19:33  |  Vittorio 06/09/07
  19.   Delusional Troglodytes 20:07  |  Krishna 06/09/07
  20.   What`s going on 20:24  |  * BEN JABO 06/09/07
  21.   "IAF fired missile directly on the track"-so previously IAF was 21:20  |  Absolute Sweden 06/09/07
  22.   Blama ... 21:37  |  Bernie 06/09/07
  23.   Enemy shouldn`t get WATER, ELECTRICITY, FOOD, FUEL from ISRAEL. 21:42  |  Vittorio 06/09/07
  24.   Islamofascists should be derooted (including indrajaya) 21:45  |  Vittorio 06/09/07
  25.   Dangerous But Inept 22:09  |  dyinglikeflies 06/09/07
  26.   Fatah moderate? 22:20  |  KUTW 06/09/07
  27.   Feel it indrajaya? 22:32  |  Johnny 06/09/07
  28.   Feel powerless lakshmi? 22:32  |  Johnny 06/09/07
  29.   Qudos IDF & IAF 23:03  |  Adrian de Klerk 06/09/07
  30.   Another day in Hamastan (ho hum) 23:08  |  Murray of Montreal 06/09/07
  31.   First let me apologize for the humor I see in this whole thing 23:25  |  Joy 06/09/07
  32.   Why? 23:26  |  Lynn 06/09/07
  33.   Bernie 00:02  |  Michael 07/09/07
  34.   Time to stop calling them terrorists and militants 00:03  |  Avrum 07/09/07
  35.   another good day good ridence of trash 00:04  |  ralph 07/09/07
  36.   Arabs should take this direct approach far more often 00:07  |  Efox 07/09/07
  37.   Good Job ! 01:06  |  Marsha 07/09/07
  38.   Haaretz, please place your Tnuva add closer to the 01:32  |  Jesus 07/09/07
  39.   Interesting progress in the real peace process 02:07  |  Frank 07/09/07
  40.   Haaretz on side on terrorists 02:20  |  paul almond 07/09/07
  41.   #28 paul almond LA 03:05  |  Ibn Musa 07/09/07
  42.   #6 Blama; 03:35  |  Murray of Montreal 07/09/07
  43.   Israel has returned the present to Islamofascist Jihad 05:18  |  Conroy 07/09/07
  44.   Paul Almond learn your facts! 05:42  |  Yered Shmuel 07/09/07
  45.   Foiled Attack 05:45  |  Reid 07/09/07
  46.   #26, Johnny`s comment to Lakshmi.... 05:53  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  47.   #25, Johnny, what should Lakshmi feel? 05:54  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  48.   Silvienne - my question to you 06:19  |  * BEN JABO 07/09/07
  49.   Silvine knows how Lakshami feels 06:31  |  Daniel 07/09/07
  50.   Ben Jabo...I have posted it three times in two different threads! 07:24  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  51.   #49, Daniel in Mexico 07:27  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  52.   #50 Silvienne - there`s some confusion 17:18  |  * BEN JABO 07/09/07
  53.   This is hilarious! (ATTN: DUTCH and DURSON) 17:48  |  Murray of Montreal 07/09/07
  54.   #15 Silvienne Mistake? 17:56  |  Murray of Montreal 07/09/07
  55.   #50 2nd TRY SILVIENNE 18:23  |  * BEN JABO 07/09/07
  56.   #15 Silvienne 18:35  |  * BEN JABO 07/09/07
  57.   #50 Silvienne - This is what I`m concerned with 18:45  |  * BEN JABO 07/09/07
  58.   #53, Murray of Montreal 19:50  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  59.   #54, Ben Jabo... 19:54  |  Silvienne 07/09/07
  60.   Silvienne 20:12  |  Nemesis 07/09/07
  61.   #59 Silvienne - you have a fixation 03:06  |  * BEN JABO 08/09/07
  62.   Ben Jabo, I`ve posted it already more than once.... 03:36  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  63.   Ben Jabo, an easter egg hunt in progress... 03:39  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  64.   Nemesis...you know what will give me the gray hair you mention... 03:42  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  65.   #61, Ben Jabo...I hope you`ve got that info now... 03:54  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  66.   #53, Murray 03:56  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  67.   #64..Silvienne 04:00  |  Nemesis 08/09/07
  68.   #62 Silvienne - what`s the thread`s name 04:17  |  * BEN JABO 08/09/07
  69.   #65 Silvienne who is? 04:19  |  * BEN JABO 08/09/07
  70.   #65 Silvienne - I`m still waiting 04:23  |  * BEN JABO 08/09/07
  71.   #68, Ben Jabo... 05:31  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  72.   Ben Jabo, I`m spelling his name wrong... 05:35  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  73.   IDF is killing militants not terrorists 05:38  |  Janet 08/09/07
  74.   Ben Jabo, too many comics, what a nerve! I was only asking... 05:39  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  75.   #68, Ben Jabo..thread`s name... 06:02  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  76.   Ben Jabo, posting it again, the thread 06:04  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  77.   Nemesis... 06:07  |  Silvienne 08/09/07
  78.   #77..Silvienne 06:43  |  Nemesis 08/09/07
  79.   #58+ #66 Silvienne 16:14  |  Murray of Montreal 08/09/07
  80.   #73 Janet; Those Palestinians that are being killed 16:38  |  Murray of Montreal 08/09/07
  81.   They are brutal occupiers! 03:28  |  Janet