Mideast, 7 Dead in Gun Battle

Four Israelis and three Palestinians were killed in a gun battle Sunday, supposedly led by Palestinian militant groups, in the Gaza Strip. This is the first battle between Israelis and Palestinians since the signing of the U.S.-backed Middle East Road Map for Peace initiative, the BBC reported.

Three Palestinians killed four Israelis soldiers and then in turn were gunned down by Israeli soldiers Sunday at dawn near Erez checkpoint, border area between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The attack came just hours after five Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Jihad announced that they would not cease attacking Israelis. The militant groups affirmed they would reject the peace plan and halt talks between the new moderate Palestinian leadership. There still seems to be a thorny path ahead in the Mideast peace process.

Three armed groups, Hamas, Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs` Brigade, claimed the shooting was a joint operation. A top Hamas official, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, said the attack was intended to send a message to the Palestinian leadership that Palestinians will continue to fight.

Five organizations - Hamas, Jihah, the Fatah Movement, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine- said they would not halt attacks on Israelis during an interview in the Gaza Strip.

“We decided to pursue this armed intifada because we reject the conclusions of the Aqaba summit, where resistance was equated with terrorism,” Mohammed el-Hindi of the Islamic Jihad told AFP.

Reflecting on continued tension, Israel re-imposed closure on the West Bank in Jordan.

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