A bomb exploded under an Israeli occupation tank in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, setting the tank on fire and killing at least four occupation soldiers inside, an Arab satellite television station reported. The Al-Jazeera station, monitored in Egypt, said four or five occupation soldiers died in the blast in the northern Gaza Strip, near the town of Beit Lahia.
The Israeli occupation army had no immediate comment. Izzedine al-Qassam, the military wing of the Islamic resistance group Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Our brigades managed to detonate a large bomb under a Zionist occupation army Merkava tank at 8:30 a.m. north of Beit Lahia," the group said in a statement faxed to news agencies.

Izzedine al-Qassam said the attack was to avenge the deaths of two Hamas activists who were killed near Beit Lahia in a clash with Israeli occupation troops earlier this week.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said they saw black smoke rising from the tank. Occupation soldiers with water hoses tried to douse the flames as Israeli helicopters hovered above to help with the rescue efforts, the witnesses said.

Palestinian resistance men in March destroyed a heavily armored Merkava-3 tank that killed three occupation soldiers.

Israelis blow up 'smuggling tunnel'

The Israeli occupation army has blown up a suspected smuggling tunnel between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

Local reports say two Palestinian men were buried in the blast - but Palestinian radio says they were killed by Israeli occupation tank fire.

The men were identified as Ziad al-Shaaer, 24, and Mohammad Qishta, 20, AFP news agency says.

The Israeli occupation army said the tunnel was used to smuggle arms and its destruction was "regular procedure".

The occupation army has demolished other houses in the border area which it suspects hide the entrances to tunnels.

Sealed off

The occupation army also arrested suspected activists in separate operations in the West Bank, Israeli radio says.

Those detained include Mustafa Badarna, described by Israel as the commander of the military arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Four other Palestinians were arrested at the same time.

The radio did not say where and when these arrests were made. Israeli radio also reports that paratroopers arrested the Islamic Jihad Movement leader and his deputy in the West Bank town of Tulkarm. Both the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been sealed off from Israel amid fears of resistance attacks by Palestinian militants during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which ends on Friday. Since the Palestinian uprising began in September 2000, almost 3,000 people have been killed - more than 2,000 of them Palestinian.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Palestinian youth runs away from an Israeli occupation army tank which is releasing a smoke screen as it holds a position in the southern West Bank town of Hebron Wednesday Feb. 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukh