Two IDF Soldiers, Civilian Lightly Hurt as Gaza Mortars Hit Negev

by Yuval Azoulay
Haaretz
February 1, 2009

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/733/two-idf-soldiers-civilian-lightly-hurt-as-gaza

Four mortar shells struck the Eshkol region of the western Negev earlier on Sunday, as well. No injuries or damages were caused.

On Sunday morning, Israel Defense Forces soldiers exchanged fire with militants near the Kissufim crossing on the border with the Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported in the incident.

The cross-border attacks came as Al-Arabiya TV Sunday quoted Hamas sources as saying that the Islamist militant group has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a year-long truce with Israel in Gaza starting on Thursday.

On Saturday morning one Grad rocket struck south of Ashkelon after a Color Red alert sounded in the city.

The rockets have demonstrated the fragility of a cease-fire that ended Israel's devastating Gaza offensive on January 18.

Israel halted the operation after saying its goals had been achieved. But Hamas declared victory and militants have kept up sporadic attacks.

Since the cease-fire, militants have fired rockets into Israel and killed one soldier in a border attack. Israel has conducted retaliatory strikes and pounded tunnels Hamas uses to smuggle in weapons from Egypt. Israeli forces have also killed three men Palestinians identified as farmers in violence along the Gaza-Israel border.

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