GAZA, July 24 (UPI) -- Two Israelis were killed and six others injured in an overnight ambush in the Gaza Strip, with three Palestinian groups claiming responsibility.
Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of the mainstream Fatah movement claimed joint responsibility for the attack, in which the two attackers also were killed.
In a telephone call to United Press International in Gaza, a spokesman for Saraya al-Quds said the attack was in retaliation to the "repeated Israeli violations of the truce and assassination" of Palestinian activists.
He identified the two attackers as Tarek Yassin and Yahya Abu Taha.
The Israeli army confirmed the Israeli casualties, saying among the injured were two Israeli soldiers who were in serious condition.
An army spokesman said the gunmen attacked an Israeli vehicle near Kissufim crossing, the entry into Jewish settlements on the road linking Israel to the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif in the southern Gaza Strip.
He said an exchange of fire ensued, killing the gunmen.
The late-night attack came hours after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was concluding a three-day visit to the region.
