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Israeli army kills palestinian suspect settlers death Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/03/mideast/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/03/mideast/
Israeli army kills Palestinian suspected in settler's death
At least 23 wanted Palestinians arrested in West Bank raid
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli troops Saturday shot and killed an armed Palestinian suspected of entering a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, killing an Israeli man, and wounding his daughter.
The Palestinian group Hamas said the settlement attack was retaliation for Israel's assassination of its spiritual leader and founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in a missile attack last month, Israeli media reported.
Hamas is a militant Islamic organization whose military wing has carried out terror attacks on Israelis.
At about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, a Palestinian armed with an assault rifle attempted to enter several homes in the Avnei Hefetz settlement before he found one with lights on, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The Israeli resident, armed with a pistol, stepped outside to invesigate a noise, and the Palestinian fired on him and his 12-year-old daughter, the IDF said.
The IDF said troops searched the area, found the suspect and shot and killed him.
Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner called the Sabbath attack "another example of terrorism directed against innocent civilians."
The IDF said that since September 2000, when the Second Intifada started, Palestinians have killed 41 Israelis and injured more than 60 in Sabbath or Jewish holiday attacks. Shabbat, the Jewish holy day, runs from Friday night to Saturday night.
Also Saturday, Israeli troops found explosive devices next to the body of a Palestinian who had been shot and killed Friday night as he approached the Gaza border with Israel, an Israeli military spokesman said.
Troops had fired late Friday when they saw two people moving about five meters from the border fence, near the El Burej refugee camp, the spokesman said.
The IDF also reported it found the body of a Palestinian that its soldiers shot near Netzarim Road in Gaza Friday.
Israeli troops shot and killed him because he was armed with a sniper rifle and within 437 yards (400 meters) of the Jewish settlement pathway, an Israeli military spokesman said.
In the Gaza town of Rafah on Saturday, the Israeli army blew up a tunnel intended to smuggle weapons from Egypt, the IDF said.
The blast demolished a three-story building that covered the tunnel's entrance, and damaged nearby buildings, Palestinian witnesses said.
Late Friday, Israeli troops and armored vehicles entered the West Bank city of Nablus, arresting 23 wanted Palestinians, an Israeli spokesman said.
"We have had many warnings of impending terrorist attacks, that is why tonight we took action against the terrorists' hotbed in Nablus," Israeli spokesman Pazner said.
Palestinian security officials said Israeli troops entered the city Friday night and declared a curfew, and arrested over 30 people.
CNN's Yoav Appel contributed to this report
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