Lovely Balanced Headline

New York Times

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May 7, 2009

World Briefing | Middle East

Gaza Militants and Israel Exchange Fire

By ISABEL KERSHNER

Militants in Gaza fired five mortar shells into a field in southern Israel on Wednesday, and Israel retaliated with airstrikes on three smuggling tunnels along Gaza’s border with Egypt, the Israeli military said. Palestinian medical officials said that four Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli strikes. The military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, according to the Palestinian news agency Maan. On Monday, the Syria-based leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, told The New York Times in an interview that his group was not firing at Israel currently as “part of an evaluation of the movement to serve the people’s interest.” Israel Radio reported Wednesday that Mr. Meshal had been criticized by other Palestinian groups for his remarks.