Israeli airstrikes kill 4 militants, officials say

The Baltimore Sun

JERUSALEM -- Israeli forces killed at least four Islamic militants in several airstrikes yesterday, including a high-ranking commander of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

The stepped-up military operations in Gaza followed a week of high-level diplomacy in Jerusalem intended to restart the stalled peace process.

One airstrike killed Omar Khatib, a top Islamic Jihad commander, his deputy and another fighter from the group as they were driving in central Gaza, Israeli military and Islamic Jihad officials said.

In a separate strike, the Israeli army killed Sharif Brais, a member of an armed faction affiliated with Hamas. An Israeli military spokesman said Brais was about to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at Israeli forces when he was killed.

Although Israel officially vacated settlements and turned over control of Gaza to the Palestinians in 2005, Israeli troops frequently conduct operations to root out militants inside the 140-square-mile strip between Israel and Egypt. Fighters from Islamic Jihad and other groups often fire rockets toward Israeli towns on the other side of the border.

During the Israeli army incursion into Gaza yesterday, several Palestinians were arrested and five others were injured in clashes, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.

Israeli forces arrested another top commander of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank town of Jenin, an Israeli army spokesman said.

Palestinian factions fought a bloody battle last month for control of Gaza, widening the schism between the Islamist group Hamas, which now controls Gaza, and the more secular Fatah movement, which has its headquarters in the West Bank.

After Fatah's defeat in Gaza, several high-ranking security officials have lost their jobs in the Fatah-led administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Yesterday, national security adviser Mohammed Dahlan submitted his resignation to Abbas.

Since the June 15 Hamas takeover, Israel has sought to undermine the Islamist group while propping up the embattled Palestinian president with money and goodwill gestures.

In recent weeks, Israel has released or given clemency to thousands of people affiliated with Fatah. At the same time, it has closed off the Gaza Strip to most people and goods.

Louise Roug writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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