Heavy fighting resumes in Gaza

GAZA — A day after a U.S.-ordered troop withdrawal, heavy fighting resumed between Israeli and Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian gunners fired mortars on Wednesday night at Jewish settlements in the strip and inside Israel. At least eight mortars were fired toward the settlement of Kfar Darom and another four near the Israeli city of Sderot.

It was the second Palestinian mortar attack that day. Earlier, Palestinians fired six mortars at Israeli positions in the northern Gaza Strip. The Islamic opposition Hamas claimed responsibility. On Thursday, Palestinians and Israelis exchanged fire throughout the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military, ordered to pull out of Palestinian Authority areas amid heavy U.S. pressure, responded. On Wednesday, tanks and bulldozers returned to PA areas and destroyed a police station near the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli military sources said the police station was used for sniper and grenade attacks.

Despite the Israeli troop withdrawal, the Gaza Strip remains divided into three zones. Palestinian motorists cannot drive directly from the southern to northern parts of the strip.

Israeli military sources were criticial of the abrupt orders to withdraw from Gaza on late Tuesday. They said the renewed Palestinian mortar attacks marks a failure of the Israeli operation to capture parts of PA territory.

In the West Bank, heavy fighting was reported on Wednesday night around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem and Ramallah. Six Palestinians and an Israeli were reportedly injured.

A Palestinian survey reported that a majority of Palestinians polled support continued armed conflict against Israel. The Jerusalem Center for Media and Communications said 62 percent supported the nearly seven-month-old mini-war and 82 percent supported continued resistance against Israel.