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Gaza City: An Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip early on Friday, Palestinians said, as Israel continued its dual policy of battling fighters in the Hamas-controlled territory while pursuing peace talks with moderate Palestinians in the West Bank.
The two men, from the Islamic Jihad group, had been posted in central Gaza near the Israeli border to observe army movements, Islamic Jihad said.
The Israeli military confirmed that an aircraft had fired on a group of armed men in the area.
Israeli forces regularly clash with Palestinian fighters launching rocket barrages at Israeli communities near Gaza.
Also on Friday, a group of Palestinian fighters who walked out of a Palestinian National Authority (PNA) prison in Nablus on Thursday returned to jail voluntarily, a security official said.
The dozen fighters, from a violent offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, turned themselves over to Abbas' security forces nearly six weeks ago to avoid being captured by Israeli forces.
Jail conditions
But they left prison because of dissatisfaction with their living conditions, said Mahdi Abu Ghazaleh, one of the fighters.
The men returned to jail yesterday after negotiations with PNA officials, the security official said.
Israel said the fact that the fighters had walked out of the Nablus prison unhindered indicated the Palestinian government was not yet capable of enforcing order in the West Bank, a key Israeli demand as the sides progress in peace talks.
"It's clear that PNA still has major challenges in dealing with reforming its security services and fighting terrorism. Success in pursuing these two challenges are essential for the success of the peace process," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The peace talks have been marred by ongoing Israeli construction in the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem, areas the Palestinians want for their future state, as well as by the near-daily rocket barrages from Gaza.
In response to the fire, Israel has clamped a blockade on Gaza with Egypt's cooperation, allowing in only vital humanitarian aid. The step has caused economic distress in the already impoverished territory.
Yesterday, a Hamas spokesman praised a decision by European Union lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Thursday calling on Israel to end the blockade and open Gaza's border crossings.
"We in Hamas are highly appreciative of the initiative and the call made by the EU parliament to end the siege imposed on Gaza," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
"We consider this an important development in the European attitude."
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