A Kassam rocket was fired from southern Gaza toward the western Negev Sunday evening. The rocket landed in the area of the security fence near Nir-Oz. Two more rockets were fired Monday – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.



The IDF has gone public with the fact that the Palestinian Authority's (PA) security forces are taking an active role in the firing of rockets at Ashkelon and the western Negev. "PA security forces moved into the evacuated territories, including evacuated areas in the northern Gaza Strip, and set up numerous posts in these areas," an IDF statement read. "Nonetheless, projectile rocket launchings from these areas, at times right by security forces' posts, has continued unabated. [On] March 30, 2006, the IDF warned Palestinian security forces located both in and near projectile rocket launching grounds to stay clear of the launching sites…The IDF has notified the head of Palestinian National Security of this decision, and has warned him to remove his forces from the areas in question. The IDF will not be responsible for Palestinian security personnel who are harmed as a result of an IDF response to Palestinian rocket-fire in these areas. It is important to note that, although this warning is also obviously directed towards Palestinian civilians, civilians are not present in these areas, which are mainly used by Palestinian security forces and terror cells."



Counter-terror Operations

The IDF killed a senior terrorist leader of the Tanzim terror group in Bethlehem Sunday night. The terrorist, Ra’ad Abiat, was responsible for numerous shooting attacks in the area south of Jerusalem, including the murder of Israelis Avi Boaz and Moshe Dayan in 2002. He was wearing an explosive belt when IDF troops caught up with him. Tanzim operates under the sponsorship of Yasser Arafat's Fatah terror group, now headed by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.



A second terrorist was also killed during the Bethlehem operation.



Elsewhere in Judea and Samaria, 13 terrorists were taken into custody. They were handed over to security authorities for interrogation.



Attempted Terror Attacks

An Arab male was arrested at the IDF’s Kalandia Checkpoint on Jerusalem’s northern border on Monday morning after he was found to be concealing a knife.



In Samaria, security forces found three pipe bombs between the communities of Itamar and Yitzhar. They were detonated without incident in controlled explosions.



Terrorists opened fire at IDF soldiers east of Bethlehem Monday afternoon, failing to inflict injury.



Sunday night, a car-jacking and attempted kidnapping took place on the Husan bypass road in Gush Etzion, according to beeper messages sent out by Judea and Samaria Police. A motorist told the IDF that three Arab males ran onto the road, entered his vehicle and forced him to drive from the location. Near the village of Nakhlin, the driver jumped out of the car and ran on foot in the direction of the Tunnels Road checkpoint.



Police and IDF arrived at the scene but failed to locate the car or the thieves. Police have declined to provide any further information on the case or about the driver. The Gush Etzion security headquarters had no further information on the incident, but stressed that the only evidence supporting the fact that there was an attempted kidnapping was the word of the motorist himself. They said that the only information they have on the incident was received from the IDF.



Infiltrations

The IDF apprehended four Arab men who infiltrated into Israel from Egypt through the northern Negev border. The four men are being interrogated by security forces.



IDF troops during also arrested five PA Arabs who had snuck past the northern Gaza border fence. They were turned over to security authorities. Another Arab man was caught sneaking in south Gaza's Kissufim Crossing.



Other Defense News

Canadian security officials decided to move former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon from his Toronto hotel due to the threat of an attack on the retired general a few days ago. Ya'alon was moved to another, undisclosed hotel in the Canadian city.



Meanwhile, General (res.) Amos Gilad, Director of the Policy and Political Military Bureau of the Ministry of Defense has downplayed the firing of a Katyusha missile from Gaza. Gilad told Israel Radio Sunday that the Katyushas in Gaza are not significant, despite their impressive 12.5 mile range, due to the low number of such missiles present in Gaza. Gilad declined to outline how he is certain of such an assessment due to Israel's absence along the Egypt-Gaza border since the Disengagement and long periods of unfettered transfer of goods across that border.