IDF kills top Al-Aqsa Brigades militant in Jenin

Israel Defense Forces troops killed Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades commander Zakariya Zubeidi's right-hand man on Saturday in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

Zubeidi's deputy, Thaer Abu Kamal, had taken over for Mahmoud Assad Abu Halifa, who was killed by the IDF in September.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are affilated with the Fatah movement, the main faction that makes up the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Soldiers from the Egoz guerilla warfare and Nahal Brigade infantry units surrounded the house in which Abu Kamal was hiding, and called on all the residents to leave.

After Abu Kamal refused calls to turn himself in, the troops proceeded to fire anti-tank missiles at the building and demolished it with a bulldozer. Abu Kamal's body was later found in the debris. No shots were fired during the operation.

On Saturday evening, security forces arrested a Fatah militant in the village of Dura near the West Bank city of Hebron.

Also Saturday, Palestinian gunmen shot at troops operating in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus. No casualties were caused in this incident.

Gaza settlers fume over lack of response to mortar fireSeveral dozen Gaza settlers blocked major junctions in the Strip on Friday and set tires alight in protest over what they perceive as a lack of a sufficient response to the barrage of mortars fired by Palestinian militants.

"[Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon is trying to break the residents of Gush Katif and to achieve political objectives by not acting to prevent the firing," Eren Sternberg, a settlement spokesman, told Army Radio.

Palestinians continued to fire mortar shells at Gaza Strip settlements and Israel Defense Forces outposts over the weekend, beginning shortly after the army wound up its second operation in a week in Khan Yunis. A few hours after the operation ended Thursday, a resident of Gush Katif was wounded as Palestinian militants fired dozens of mortar shells at various parts of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians fired four mortar shells at Gaza settlements on Saturday, and 11 mortar shells hit Gaza on Friday, causing damage but no injuries. Two more shells landed in a settlement in northern Gaza late Friday night. No injuries were reported.

Three of Friday's mortar shells hit the Gaza settlement of Kfar Darom, one of which landed on a caravan and caused it serious damage, while another hit a house but didn't break through the roof. Three additional mortar shells hit the settlement of Neveh Dekalim, one landing near a school. The other two hit the Erez crossing area, between Israel and Gaza. Later in the afternoon, Palestinians fired three more shells that hit an IDF outpost and settlements. Soldiers returned fire.

According to the IDF, all terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are involved in firing shells, but Hamas is leading the assault, the intensity of which has increased in recent days. Settlers said the attack was one of the heaviest in the last four years of fighting.

IDF kills 3 gunmen in West BankIDF troops shot and killed three Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Tul Karm before dawn Friday, Palestinian sources said.

Palestinian sources said the Tul Karm deaths took place during a gunbattle between the militants and IDF troops. The IDF said four Palestinians opened fire on troops and threw firebombs at them, and confirmed that troops hit three of the militants.

One of the gunmen was named as Jamal Khalid, 16, a member of the Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Also early Friday, two Hamas activists were killed while preparing an explosive device that detonated prematurely in the Gaza refugee camp of Khan Yunis, where the IDF has been operating this week in a bid to stop mortar and rocket attacks, Palestinian sources said.

Hamas spokesmen identified the two as Rami Abu Aker and Abed Abu Namus and said they were planning to use the explosives in a terror attack. Nine other Palestinians were also said to have been wounded in the blast.

	Palestinian mourners carrying the body of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades gunman Jamal Khalid during his funeral in Tul Karm on Friday. (AP)