A commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of the Gazan leadership of Hamas, has been killed in a firefight with Israeli soldiers.
Taysr Asmiri, the commander of an observation unit, died in the clash at a security fence near the southern Gaza Strip. Several others were wounded. An Israeli soldier is reportedly in serious condition.
The Israeli military claimed that the fighting began when Palestinian snipers opened fire at troops guarding construction work. The Israel Defense Forces responded with tank and aircraft fire.
There have been a series of incidents along the border in the past week. On Friday night, Israeli jets attacked a Hamas installation after a rocket was launched into southern Israel.
The bombing run was the first since the 50-day Israel-Gaza War this summer.
