Post by Salem6 on Mar 12, 2008 18:17:57 GMT
Israeli commandos have killed four Palestinian militants in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Palestinian medical and security officials have said.
Those killed include Muhammad Shahada, 48, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, and Ahmed al-Balbul, also 48, a leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Two others killed were identified as members of the Islamic Jihad group.
The raid comes after a surge in violence in the Gaza strip that left 125 dead in one week.
Nafez Azzam, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, denounced it as reflecting "the true face of the occupation".
"Killing still continues while they are talking about the possibility of bringing calm, but if they think that calm means Palestinian surrender, they are mistaken," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli troops shot dead an Islamic Jihad militant near the northern West Bank town of Tulkarm.
There had been a lull in the Gaza violence over the last few days, with the Israeli military reducing operations in Gaza on Monday following a sharp drop in rocket fire from Palestinian militants.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas set out its conditions for a truce, calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and the re-opening of its borders, in return for halting rocket attacks.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7292815.stm