Israel Defense Force troops have captured a cell of five Hamas members that planned to attack a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.
The five, who were between the age of 16 and 18, last Friday night apparently infiltrated the Israeli-controlled area of Gush Katif from Khan Yunis, and managed to get close to the Jewish settlement of Gadid.
The would-be attackers from the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas movement, who said they had trained for a month for an attack, were armed with several firebombs, a gun, knives and axes.
They also had a copy of the Koran.
An Israeli army patrol caught the Hamas members after they set off an electronic alarm.
The head of Israeli troops in Gaza, Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Eitan, reportedly said the suspects planned to kill Jews who were at home in observance of Shabbat.
Two other members of the cell who had remained in the Palestinian-controlled area were apprehended by Palestinian police.
Hamas, who has claimed responsibility for the latest series of terror attacks in Israel, has demanded the removal of all Jewish settlements from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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