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| Palestinian Sniper Attack on Israeli Patrol at Gaza Border Sets Off Clash | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| JERUSALEM — A clash on Wednesday set off by a Palestinian sniper attack on an Israeli military patrol along the border with Gaza left one Palestinian militant dead and an Israeli soldier wounded, according to initial reports, further straining a tenuous cease-fire that ended a 50-day war over the summer. | JERUSALEM — A clash on Wednesday set off by a Palestinian sniper attack on an Israeli military patrol along the border with Gaza left one Palestinian militant dead and an Israeli soldier wounded, according to initial reports, further straining a tenuous cease-fire that ended a 50-day war over the summer. |
| After a routine patrol on the Israeli side of the border came under fire, the Israeli military responded with air and ground forces, in what appeared to be the most serious direct confrontation between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates the Palestinian enclave, since fighting ended in late August. | After a routine patrol on the Israeli side of the border came under fire, the Israeli military responded with air and ground forces, in what appeared to be the most serious direct confrontation between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates the Palestinian enclave, since fighting ended in late August. |
| A spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry identified the Palestinian who was killed as Tayseer al-Samari, 47. The military wing of Hamas immediately claimed Mr. Samari as one of its own, and it said he was the head of the group’s reconnaissance unit in southern Gaza. | |
| Israel and Hamas each issued stern warnings, pointing to a possible escalation. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a statement, “The Hamas sniper attack is an outrageous act of aggression.” | Israel and Hamas each issued stern warnings, pointing to a possible escalation. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a statement, “The Hamas sniper attack is an outrageous act of aggression.” |
| The military, he said, would “continue to protect its forces and the border area” and had instructed farmers in the border communities “to leave the area for their own safety.” | The military, he said, would “continue to protect its forces and the border area” and had instructed farmers in the border communities “to leave the area for their own safety.” |
| Hamas held Israel responsible for the deadly clash. “This is a dangerous escalation,” Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told a news website associated with the movement. | Hamas held Israel responsible for the deadly clash. “This is a dangerous escalation,” Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told a news website associated with the movement. |
| “The occupation is playing with fire,” Mr. Radwan continued, referring to Israel, “and it will bear full responsibility for the consequences.” | “The occupation is playing with fire,” Mr. Radwan continued, referring to Israel, “and it will bear full responsibility for the consequences.” |
| Hamas evacuated its police stations and other institutions in Gaza City, as well as elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, in anticipation of further Israeli airstrikes. | Hamas evacuated its police stations and other institutions in Gaza City, as well as elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, in anticipation of further Israeli airstrikes. |
| Mr. Radwan called on Egypt, which brokered the cease-fire in late August, to intervene and “curb the aggression and the violations” by Israel. | Mr. Radwan called on Egypt, which brokered the cease-fire in late August, to intervene and “curb the aggression and the violations” by Israel. |
| Tensions have been building since Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israeli territory on Friday and Israel carried out a retaliatory airstrike against a Hamas site in Gaza, the first since the August cease-fire. Israeli officials said that rocket was probably not fired by Hamas but by a smaller militant group; Israel nevertheless said it held Hamas accountable. | |
| Israeli officials later said the target of the airstrike was a factory producing cement meant for the rehabilitation of the Hamas tunnels that Israel destroyed or damaged during the war. | Israeli officials later said the target of the airstrike was a factory producing cement meant for the rehabilitation of the Hamas tunnels that Israel destroyed or damaged during the war. |
| More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in the fighting over the summer, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel were killed. | More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in the fighting over the summer, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel were killed. |