The moves also stoked fears that the region's cycle of violence could derail the newly invigorated Middle East peace process, known as the "road map."
The first strike killed two people and wounded Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi. Palestinians called the strike a targeted assassination attempt.
Hours later, an Apache helicopter struck a car near a group of Palestinians firing homemade rockets toward Israel, according to Israeli military sources. That attack killed two men and a teenage girl, Palestinian sources said.
The actions followed a Sunday attack that killed four Israeli soldiers, an operation for which Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed joint responsibility. All three groups are on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. In a separate shooting Sunday, an Israeli soldier also was killed near the West Bank town of Hebron.
(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2003)
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