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Palestinians riding a donkey cart on the main road leading to the Karni crossing. (AP)
Last update - 20:32 06/07/2008
IDF: Negev farmer's tractor damaged by stones, not Gaza sniper
By Fadi Eyadat, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies
Tags: gaza, israel, hamas 

A farmer operating a tractor near the western Negev Kibbutz Nahal Oz said a Palestinian sniper in the bordering Gaza Strip opened fire at him on Sunday afternoon. Several hours later, however, the military admitted there was no sniper attack, saying damage to the tractor might have been caused by a stone.

The farmer sustained no injuries.

A police sapper from the nearby city of Sderot arrived at the scene but could not determine whether a shooting had taken place because he could not locate a bullet. Military sources also said that an IDF observation post failed to identify the origin of the gunfire.
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The incident occurred hours after Israel reopened its border crossings with Gaza, a measure stipulated by a truce agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel pledged to open the crossings under a June 19 cease fire agreement, but it has repeatedly closed the passages in response to Palestinian violations of the truce in the form of Qassam rockets and mortar shells fired into Israeli communities.

There was no word from Israel on whether it would keep the border crossings open after Sunday's shooting.

Israel closed the Gaza crossings on Thursday following the launch of a rocket into the Negev by Palestinian militants.

The reopening of the crossings was to allow goods, including food and gasoline, into the largely blockaded territory and humanitarian cases into Israel for medical treatment.

The rocket landed in an open area on Thursday and did not cause any casualties. Regardless of the firing, the crossings are generally closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday.

Israeli official Peter Lerner said the Erez crossing, the main passage for people between Gaza and Israel, would be opened to allow Gazans in need of urgent medical attention travel into Israel.

Lerner said the Sufa crossing would be opened to allow goods and cement into the Gaza Strip, and the Nahal Oz fuel depot was also to be opened.

The Karni crossing, which is undergoing renovations, was to remain closed.

Israel had shut the crossings on June 25 after Islamic Jihad launched a cross-border rocket attack in what the militant group described as a response to the killing by the IDF of one of its leaders in the West Bank.

Israel cut back sharply on the supply of goods into the Gaza Strip a year ago, after Hamas seized the territory from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's more secular Fatah faction.

The West Bank is not covered by the cease-fire, but Islamic Jihad had put Israel on notice that it might react violently to raids in the territory.

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  • General Staff: Use force in response to Qassams
  • ANALYSIS / Truce is a poker game, and both sides are bluffing
  • More proof of Sderot's exodus: Fewer births and fewer kids in school
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      13.   #6 Ben Jabo 17:08  |  pitcher 06/07/08
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