A Palestinian security official denied on Monday Israeli claims that Palestinians fired several mortar bombs at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip overnight.
Israel said that two of the bombs struck within the limits of the Kfar Darom Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip but caused no damage or casualties, reported Haaretz newspaper.
But the Palestinian official told AFP that "there was no mortar fire or explosion."
The paper added that Palestinians opened fire on two Israeli vehicles and an Israeli army patrol in separate incidents Sunday night.
A ceasefire agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians brokered by CIA chief George Tenet came into effect on June 13, but both sides have accused the other of breaking it, with nine Palestinians and six Israelis killed.
The deal, about which both sides have strong reservations, is aimed at ending the Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation, in exchange for the implementation of recommendations contained in the Mitchell report, including a settlement freeze.
Since the outbreak of the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict last September, CNN reports that Palestinians have killed approximately 112 Israelis with weapons ranging from stones and knives to machineguns and car bombs. Israeli military sources have reported well over 600 injuries to Israelis of Jewish descent.
In the same time period, according to CNN, Israeli soldiers and armed Jewish settlers have killed 13 Arab Israelis and 458 Palestinians with weapons ranging from machineguns and tanks to US-made Apache helicopter gunships and F-16s.
According to Amnesty International, nearly 100 of the Palestinians killed were children.
In addition, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society has reported over 14,000 Palestinians wounded, and over 500 killed.
Jewish author Noam Chomsky, who according to a New York Times Book Review article is “arguably the most important intellectual alive,” has been quoted as saying: “State terrorism is an extreme form of terrorism, generally much worse than individual terrorism because it has the resources of a state behind it.” – Albawaba.com
