Israeli helicopters fired missiles and demolished a Force 17 installation in the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning. The attack came as a response to a mortar attack on a Gush Katif settlement Monday, in which two Israeli children were lightly wounded.

The missile attack took place in Beit Hanun, near the Erez Crossing. Palestinian sources said two Apache helicopters fired four missiles at a building serving Force 17, the Palestinian Authority's Presidential Guard security forces. Palestinian Public Security Chief Major-General Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh claimed that two surface-to-surface missiles also hit the building causing considerable damage.

The building was empty at the time of the attack, but one Palestinian reportedly sustained minor wounds. One of the missiles apparently hit a power line, cutting off electricity in the northern Gaza Strip.

"Four mortar bombs were fired [Monday] at an Israeli settlement in the central Gaza Strip, in which an Israeli girl was lightly wounded," an IDF statement said. "In response, the army struck tonight a Force 17 building."

Maariv reported that five mortar shells were fired in the afternoon at a Gush Katif settlement. Three of the shells hit private homes, one fell on a basketball court and the fifth landed in a parking lot, the newspaper reported.

Merav Nissim, 3, and her brother Yonatan, 4, were in their home at the time of the attack and were lightly injured by shrapnel.

A senior army officer told Maariv that the "IDF does not have a solution for the threat of mortars. Because the launches take place from populated areas, we can't effectively prevent them unless we end up injuring innocent civilians," he said.

IDF investigating circumstances of Tulkarm deaths
IDF soldiers reported that a Palestinian vehicle attempted to ram through a military roadblock Tuesday morning near the village of Iktaba, east of Tulkarm. The soldiers followed standard open-fire procedures, firing warning shots first in the air, and then at the wheels of the car. Only when the vehicle continued towards them did the soldiers fire at its occupants, fatally wounding the two men. It was not clear if the Palestinians were armed, ynet reported.

Rajla Khalil, a resident of the village of Jaroushiyeh near the roadblock, gave a different account. "We left the house and saw two men running towards an olive grove and soldiers following them on foot," she said. "After a while we heard more shots and we saw the soldiers dragging one of the men and carrying the other man."

The IDF said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident.

Tragic assassination attempt in Hebron
Two Palestinian children were accidentally killed Monday in Hebron when an IAF helicopter missile attack failed to kill Islamic Jihad terrorist Mohammed Sider. Palestinian sources said two missiles were fired at Sider's car when it stopped at a traffic light, killing a three-year-old toddler and a pedestrian on the sidewalk, 13-year-old Shadi Arafa.

The intended target of the attack was commander of Islamic Jihad military cells in Hebron. Sider, 23, had served two years in an Israeli prison for his membership in the group. He was suspected by Israel as being responsible for the killing of Kiryat Arba city councilor Yehezkel Mualem in July. Intelligence sources claim that Sider also sent the gunman who killed two teenagers and wounded dozens more when he opened fire on an Egged bus in Jerusalem's French Hill neighborhood on November 4.

According to the IDF, Sider was planning a similar attack in Beer Sheva. In addition, Sider reportedly planned to kidnap Israeli soldiers.

Sider "was about to send two suicide bombers to carry out an attack in Israel," Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Tuesday morning. "No one can expect us to sit back and do nothing," he said.

Sider was reportedly among the seven Palestinians wounded in the helicopter attack, but there were conflicting reports as to the extent of his wounds. Some sources reported that Sider was taken to the hospital where his two legs were amputated; other sources said his cousin suffered the severe injuries.

The IDF Spokesman acknowledged responsibility for the attempted "targeted killing" and expressed sorrow for the loss of innocent lives.

"The response of Islamic Jihad will come soon, as we have promised our nation and the Zionist enemy," Islamic Jihad said in a statement.

In response to the attack, Palestinian Minister for Information and Culture Yasser Abed Rabbo called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "a child killer who does not respect the sanctity of life."

"Targeting civilian cars in a crowded Hebron market, thus exposing dozens of civilians to grave danger, is outrageous and condemnable, Abed Rabbo said in a statement.

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