GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian gunmen who infiltrated a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip Thursday.  "An armed terrorist ... reached the hothouses at Ganei Tal. He opened fire and threw grenades at an Israeli force on patrol. They returned fire, killing him," an army spokeswoman said. The militant Palestinian group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Violence has surged in Gaza in the run-up to a planned Israeli pullout from the occupied territory later this year. Militants want to portray the withdrawal as a victory in a 4-year-old Palestinian uprising, while Israel has said it would hit them hard to ensure settlers and soldiers do not leave under fire. |