Muslim terrorists in Gaza fired at army soldiers carrying out engineering work at the Gaza separation barrier Wednesday afternoon. The soldiers returned fire, and no injuries were reported. The attack came hours after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh offered Israel a halt in terrorist attacks in return for a halt in all IDF counterterrorist operations in Judea and Samaria as well as in Gaza.

The firing of a Kassam rocket also has been detected in the Sderot area, but no sighting of an explosion has been reported. Elsewhere, IDF soldiers arrested four Arabs near Hevron after discovering that their vehicle contained fertilizer that can be used to manufacture explosives.