Israeli strike kills Gaza fighter, violating truce

02/02/2009| IslamWeb

A missile from an Israeli aircraft struck a car traveling in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, killing a Palestinian fighter and further straining a truce with the territory's Hamas rulers.

 

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, one of three candidates in the running to become prime minister in Feb. 10 elections and an architect of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, ruled out negotiating with Hamas.

 

"Terror must be fought with force and lots of force," she said. "Therefore we will strike Hamas."

 

The strike came as the Islamic group sent a delegation to Egypt in hopes of wrapping up a long-term cease-fire to Israel's three-week military offensive that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians in Gaza. The truce is being negotiated by Egyptian mediators as Israel and Hamas refuse direct talks.

 

In Monday's airstrike, the military said it targeted a group of fighters who had fired mortar shells at Israel. Palestinian medical officials said a fighter in the vehicle was killed, while a second occupant and two bystanders were wounded. The identities of the wounded were not immediately known.

 

In Syria, a member of Hamas' exiled leadership said the group is ready for a one-year truce with Israel in exchange for reopening the borders and lifting the economic blockade.

 

The official, Mohammed Nasr, said he would travel to Cairo later Monday for the truce talks. A senior Hamas delegation from Gaza was also expected to join the talks.

 

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman from Gaza, said the delegation would listen to "the summary of the Egyptian contacts and talks that have been conducted with the Israelis or other concerned parties."

 

Abu Zuhri said the issue of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, a captured Israeli soldier held by Hamas, would not be part of the deal. Israel has tried to link Schalit's release to reopening Gaza's borders. Hamas says Israel must free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to win the soldier's freedom.

 

 

In separate violence Monday, Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian motorist near the West Bank city of Hebron.

 

The army gave no details on the man's condition, but Israeli media said he was killed and had attacked the soldiers to protest Israel's recent Gaza offensive.

 

However, relatives of the dead man, identified as 27-year-old Taysir Manasra, said he worked as an illegal peddler in Israel and was not connected to fighters.

 

PHOTO CAPTION

 

Palestinian firefighters use water to clean blood from the street as Palestinians gather around a car hit in an Israeli missile strike, in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009.

 

Agencies