The Israeli military confirmed the attack near the southern city of Khan Yunis, saying it targeted a member of Islamic Jihad who "was involved in planning a massive terrorist attack in the heart of Israel."

"This operation disrupts the execution of the attack by Islamic Jihad. That organisation has been involved in the firing of rockets towards Israeli territory and IDF forces (army) in the past few days," a spokeswoman said.

Adham Abu Selmiya, spokesman for the Hamas-run health services in the Gaza Strip, named the dead man as 25-year-old Mohammed Jamil al-Najar.

The Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad militant group, said Najar was a member and pledged revenge for the attack.

"The blood of the martyrs will not be wasted and the response will come at the right time and place," a statement said.

Tensions have been rising in recent weeks, with militants firing dozens of rockets into southern Israel, and Israel responding with air strikes.

In the most recent attack, a rocket fired from Gaza hit open ground in the Negev desert causing no casualties or damage.

Several rockets have struck more populated areas, causing damage and injuries.

On January 8, three people on an Israeli kibbutz were injured, two of them seriously, by mortar fire from the Gaza Strip, for which Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

In response to the rising rocket fire, Israel has launched a string of retaliatory air strikes and warned the Hamas rulers of Gaza that it holds them responsible for maintaining calm there.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned militant groups in the coastal enclave against escalating the situation.

"I advise Hamas and the other factions not to test us. If the firing on our territory continues, they are the ones who will suffer," he said during a visit to troops on the Gaza border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the same message when he addressed the foreign press in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening.

"I think they'll make a terrible mistake; to test our will, to test our people. I think they'll make a terrible, terrible mistake," he said.

Israel launched its devastating "Operation Cast Lead" in December 2008 in response to hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza into its territory.

The 22-day war, which ended in a ceasefire on January 18, 2009, killed 1,400 Palestinians, around half of them civilians, and 13 Israelis, 10 of them soldiers.

The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip have said that they do not want another war, and have called on militant groups in the coastal enclave to avoid provoking a new confrontation.

On Tuesday, a Hamas spokesman said the group would enforce a "national consensus" truce agreed after the end of "Operation Cast Lead."

"The Palestinian government will play its role in strengthening the national consensus and will make everyone commit to it," spokesman Taher al-Nunu said in a statement.

Nunu said Hamas would also "repeat its call to the Palestinian factions to respect the national consensus" -- a truce that the militant group agreed with Israel after Egyptian mediation.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News