Sporadic Palestinian attacks as IDF lifts curbs on Gazans

Palestinians fired at least four anti-tank missiles and set off a bomb near an IDF base outside the Gaza settlement of Neve Dekalim early on Tuesday, as the army lifted roadblocks that had cut the Gaza Strip into three sections, Israel Radio reported.

There were no injuries in the attack, nor in a number of exchanges of fire between Palestinian gunmen and IDF troops. On Monday night, a foreign worker at one of the Gaza settlements was injured by shrapnel from a mortar shell fired at the enclave.

After reassessing the security situation in Gaza, defense officials ordered roadblocks removed at a junction leading to the Gush Katif settlement bloc and at Netzarim Junction, according to the radio report.

The curbs were imposed late last week after a wave of Palestinian shelling killed an Israeli woman in a settlement and damaged houses in the western Negev last week.

Hamas agrees to resume truce, end 'battle' with PAThe militant group Hamas agreed Monday to stop rocket and mortar fire on Israeli targets and resume the truce agreed upon four months ago, according to Palestinian sources.

During meetings with the Egyptian delegation to the Gaza Strip, Hamas also agreed to end the "battle of declarations" with the Palestinian Authority and cease calling for the dismissal of Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, the sources said.

Hamas officials emphasized that the organization's commitment to maintain the truce was dependent on Israel's actions and that Hamas considered itself free "to respond" to perceived truce violations by Israel.

Palestinian fire on Gush Katif declined Monday, and the western Negev was not targeted at all, for the first time since last Thursday. By Monday evening, 13 mortar shells had been fired at IDF outposts in Gush Katif and the Rafah region. There were no casualties.

Three more mortars fell before dawn on Tuesday in a Gush Katif settlement. No one was hurt in the attacks but damage was caused to a security fence in the area, Israel Radio said. Earlier, two foreigners had been lightly wounded in mortar fire in Gaza.

The IDF remained on alert for possible entry into Khan Yunis and the northern Gaza Strip.

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Raeeb al-Masri, was killed Monday by IDF soldiers, who opened fire at a convoy of Palestinian cars that had been waiting at the closed Gush Katif checkpoint for hours and decided to force their way through. According to Palestinian sources, Masri was in one of the detained cars. He was shot in the chest and died later at the hospital.

Sderot and western Negev communities endured a day of tense quiet, continuing the gradual decrease in fire since Saturday. This trend appears to be related partly to preliminary steps by the Palestinian Authority against the terrorist organizations, and partly to the threat of a major Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip prior to disengagement.

The IDF continues to concentrate forces, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, at points within clear sight of the Palestinians and also photographed by international media. The Givati Brigade is on alert for entry into the northern Gaza Strip towns of Beit Hanun and Beit Lahia, while the Golani Brigade is on a similar alert for action in Khan Yunis.

The IDF assumes the government will not order such action if there are no further casualties. The sides prefer to wait for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is due in the region at the end of this week.

Meanwhile, Defense Ministry Director General Amos Yaron announced Monday afternoon that his ministry will work with the Finance Ministry to install protective measures for communities surrounding Gaza as needed, at a total outlay of NIS 70 million. Yaron's announcement came in response to a demand by Vice Premier Shimon Peres at a meeting Monday morning of the ministerial committee for Negev and Galilee development.

In a separate development, the Knesset Finance Committee is proposing an increase in tax relief for Sderot residents from 13 percent to 16 percent. MK Yitzhak Cohen (Shas) presented the initiative Monday after the committee approved a NIS 10 million transfer from the treasury to Sderot to cover the city's 2004 deficit.

Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal also attended the meeting, at which MKs demanded that the treasury transfer to Sderot additional funds the state is holding up. MK Daniel Benlulu (Likud) demanded the transfer of NIS 270 million previously promised to Sderot for protective measures. The chair of the defense budget committee, MK Avraham Shochat (Labor), said he would convene his committee for an urgent discussion on approving the transfer.

	Hamas representatives Mahmoud Zahar, left, and Nizar Rayan attending a meeting with Egyptian officials in Gaza City on Monday. (AP)