In all, the sources said, the Israeli force captured 14 insurgents
during the operation in Tulkarm that ended on late Tuesday. They said the
operation was one of the most successful counter-insurgency efforts in
months.
On late Tuesday, an Israeli was killed in a Palestinian ambush near
Ramallah. Two others were also injured in an attack attributed to the ruling
Fatah militia.
In Jerusalem, Israel's military has determined that the Islamic
opposition group Hamas has scaled down attacks on Israel. Israeli military
sources said Hamas has limited its activity in fear that Israel will once
again targets the group's leadership.
On Wednesday, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up in an Israeli
military facility at the Erez border terminal in the northern Gaza Strip.
The suicide attack was said to have killed at least four Israeli government
personnel and destroyed the security facility, which inspected the permits
of thousands of Palestinian laborers who sought to enter Israel. The Erez
terminal is said to be one of the few remaining areas of Israeli-Palestinian
security cooperation.
Fatah and Hamas said they cooperated to launch the suicide attack. The
suicide bomber was said to have been a Fatah operative.
