Military

DATE=12/23/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS (LONG)

NUMBER=2-311141

BYLINE=ROSS DUNN

DATELINE=JERUSALEM

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Israeli forces and Palestinian militants have clashed in the Gaza Strip, leaving two Israeli officers and at least six Palestinians dead. Ross Dunn reports from Jerusalem.

TEXT: Palestinian witnesses say that about 40 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles swept into the Rafah refugee camp, near Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

The Israeli Army says the operation is part of what it calls its continuing campaign to find and destroy secret tunnels used to smuggle weapons and explosives from Egypt into Gaza.

The Israeli army says it encountered fierce resistance during the raid as soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen. Palestinian militants also set off bombs and threw grenades at the troops.

Earlier, Palestinians ambushed troops near Kisufim, a crossing point on Gaza's eastern border with Israel. The Palestinian attackers used automatic rifles and also hurled hand grenades at Israeli soldiers on patrol.

The troops returned fire and two of their officers and one Palestinian were killed during the ensuing gun-battle.

In another incident, a civilian Israeli vehicle came under fire north of the Red Sea resort city of Eilat. Suspected Palestinian militants shot at the car and also hurled one grenade, but the occupants of the vehicle escaped unharmed.

Last month, a tourist was killed and four others wounded when a gunman opened fire at a border crossing with Jordan near Eilat.

Meanwhile, officials tried to move forward with efforts to restart peace talks, after the Egyptian foreign minister was attacked by an angry crowd of Palestinians Monday at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque. The Foreign Minister, Ahmed Maher, said the incident that put him briefly in an Israeli hospital will only increase Egypt's determination to work for what he called peace and Palestinian rights.

Some people at the mosque were angry that he had not met Palestinian officials as well as Israeli officials. One man was quoted as shouting that Mr. Maher should have come in a tank as a liberator, rather than as what the man called a 'collaborator.' (SIGNED)

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