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World Jewish News
Gaza boat explodes near Israel Navy vessel
13.04.2009
A booby-trapped fishing boat exploded on Monday near an Israel Navy vessel off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip.
No one was wounded in the blast, which occurred about 300 meters from the Gaza coast, near the border with Israel.
The Palestinian vessel was laden with explosives, but was unmanned.
The blast was heard further along the coast in Gaza City. Local Palestinian media, however, did not immediately report on the incident.
Gaza's Hamas rulers have threatened in the past to use various means to lift the Israeli-led blockade on the coastal territory.
The Israel Defense Forces occasionally receives intelligence warnings of planned attacks involving explosives-laden boats.
In 2002, two Palestinian militants on an explosive-packed boat blew themselves up next to an Israeli patrol vessel, killing themselves and wounding four naval crewmen. Islamic Jihad, a violent group backed by Syria and Iran, claimed responsibility at the time.
The Israel Navy closely monitors the coastal strip as part of a general blockade, tightened since the Islamist Hamas group took control of Gaza in June 2007. Patrol boats are particularly on the lookout for attempts to smuggle in arms and explosives.
Israel and Hamas have largely observed a fragile cease-fire in Gaza since the IDF ceased its offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group in mid-January.
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Источник: Haaretz
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