Hamas operation meticulously planned

The Hamas operation yesterday that killed three Israel Defense Forces soldiers in an ambush in the Gaza Strip was meticulously planned and designed to prevent repeated IDF incursions into the Strip, a Hamas spokesman said yesterday.

The ambush was set up using two lines, with the front line used to bate IDF soldiers. When the IDF troops approached the front line, the back line then closed in on them and opened fire with rifles and anti-tank missiles, Hamas said.

"Our fighters managed to exchange fire with the force from a distance of less than five meters, which increased the casualties and caused confusion," the spokesperson said.

The Islamic group's spokesman said that none of the eight gunmen who took part in the operation - code-named "Killing Field" - were killed.

"The Gaza Strip will remain a flaming stone that will crush the sick dreams of the Zionist enemy," the spokesman said.

Also yesterday, Hamas officials announced they would pick its representatives who will meet former U.S. president Jimmy Carter in Cairo, as Carter's entrance to the Gaza Strip had been prohibited by Israel. The former president is scheduled to travel to Damascus where he will meet with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal.