Palestinian militants kill at least three Israelis

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Two armed Palestinians infiltrated an Israeli army outpost in a Gaza Strip settlement early today, killing at least three Israelis in a fierce gunbattle before being shot dead, Israeli media reported.

Two other Israelis were wounded, one critically, the Web site of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported. The army refused to confirm the report of dead.

The army said soldiers were searching for a third militant who may have fled the area, but were not certain that there were ever more than three Palestinians involved in the attack.

A caller to the Associated Press in Gaza City said the operation was a joint effort of the Islamic Jihad; the Popular Resistance Committee, an umbrella group of Palestinian factions; and the Ahmed Abu El-Rish Brigades, a group linked to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction.

The caller said the groups had sent three militants into the Morag settlement and the “operation is still under way.” He said a statement would be released.

The attack comes as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faces mounting opposition against his plan to withdraw from all Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements in September 2005.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that heavy fog in the area of Morag, home to 36 families, in the southern Gaza Strip made it possible for the militants to reach and enter the outpost. Israeli media described the incident as “difficult.”

“Unfortunately, we have suffered a heavy loss,” said Nissim Bracha, Morag’s secretary.

It took 45 minutes from the moment the first Palestinian shot was fired at 6:45 a.m. for the soldiers to kill the militants and evacuate their own casualties, Bracha said.

Militants have increased attacks in recent months to make the Israeli withdrawal look like a Palestinian victory. Israel, meanwhile, has also come down harder on Palestinians in Gaza to prevent the image of a Palestinian victory.