Israeli troops kill man in Gaza Strip after alleged attempt to plant bomb

MARK WEISS in Jerusalem

ISRAELI TROOPS briefly entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, killing a 20-year-old Palestinian, wounding another man and detaining three others.

The incursion, south of Gaza city, came in response to what the Israeli forces believed was an attempt by the men to plant explosives along the border. According to Palestinian sources, though, the young men were unarmed civilians hunting birds and none of them belonged to militant groups.

Following the incident, militants fired a rocket which landed in an open area in southern Israel.

Gaza has been relatively quiet since Israel’s three-week military campaign last December and January, but there have been sporadic incidents along the border and firing of rockets into Israel.

Israel’s top general Gabi Ashkenazi has said Israel is ready for the possibility of another round of fighting in Gaza.

Addressing high school students yesterday, the army chief warned that if militants continued to fire rockets, Israel would have no choice but to launch another operation.

He said the fact that southern Israel was quiet for the first time in eight years proved the war had been a success, but he admitted that mistakes were made during the fighting.

“We will continue to investigate, we have found mistakes and failures, because in the heat of the battle they happen,” he said. “We are learning lessons and we will correct our mistakes.

The general criticised the UN report drawn up by a team headed by retired South African jurist Richard Goldstone, which accused both Israel and militant Palestinian groups of committing war crimes.

“The report needs to be responded to in order to explain the justification for the war and that the next war will be fought in the same way,” he said.

“We shouldn’t reward terror. We are investigating all the necessary incidents, but we do this after every war, irrespective of reports.”

Hamas prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh has warned that Israel was planning another war.

Quoted by Iran’s Press TV, the Hamas leader called on the world “to stop Israel killing more children”. Mr Haniyeh warned that if Israel invaded Gaza again, Hamas would be ready.

The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported yesterday that a majority of Israelis would support negotiations with Hamas if the Islamic group recognised Israel and renounced violence.

Such a policy was advocated earlier this week by former army general and defence minister Shaul Mofaz, number two in the centrist Kadima party.

Fifty-seven per cent of Israelis surveyed backed talks under such conditions, including a majority of supporters of the ruling right-wing Likud party headed by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

However, the poll also showed a significant swing to the right.

In the current Knesset parliament, the right-wing bloc has the support of 65 members, with 55 belonging to left or centre parties.

According to the Ha’aretz poll, if elections were held today the new right-left/centre balance in parliament would be 72-48.