By Atef Saad
NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed twoPalestinians, including an Islamic Jihad commander, in the WestBank city of Nablus on Tuesday in the first fatal raid since aceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip last week.
Islamic Jihad threatened to launch attacks inside Israel toavenge the death of Tarek Juma Abu Ghali, whom the militantgroup described as one of its most senior commanders in thenorthern West Bank.
A second Palestinian, affiliated with the Islamist militantgroup Hamas, was also killed in the overnight raid, Palestiniansecurity sources said.
The killings, which were confirmed by the Israeli army,could test the fragile ceasefire that took effect last Thursdaybetween Israel and militants in the Hamas-controlled GazaStrip.
"Calm in Gaza does not mean that we will sit in our seatswaiting to be slaughtered one by one," Islamic Jihad said in astatement. "This crime will not pass without punishment and thecoming days will be a witness to that."
Hamas, which claimed responsibility for a shooting attackthat injured three Israeli hikers near a West Bank settlementon Friday, also called on Palestinian groups in the West Bankto retaliate for the killings, saying they had a right to do sobecause the ceasefire deal was limited to the Gaza Strip.
Western-backed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyaddeparted from his prepared remarks at a security conference inBerlin to condemn the Nablus raid.
"This is the kind of activity that has to stop, and has tostop promptly, if we are going to be able to succeed," Fayyadsaid. "Our own political credibility will continue to be atstake as long as those kinds of incursions continue."
The Berlin conference is meant to bolster Palestinianpolice forces so they can assume greater securityresponsibilities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Officials on both sides doubt the truce in the Gaza Stripwill last.
The army on Tuesday confirmed that Palestinians fired amortar shell into Israel from Gaza overnight in the firstreported violation by militants of the ceasefire.
No one was hurt by the mortar shell and there was noimmediate claim of responsibility.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said his group was not awareof the incident and remained committed to the truce.
An Israeli army spokesman said the Islamic Jihad commanderkilled in Nablus had directed "terrorist squads" and wasinvolved in making explosive devices.
Nablus Governor Jamal Muheisen called the Israeli raid inthe city an "unjustified crime" but said he did not believe itwould threaten the Gaza truce.
Under the ceasefire deal, brokered by Egypt, Hamas agreedto prevent other militant groups in the Gaza Strip, includingIslamic Jihad, from launching cross-border attacks.
Israel also agreed to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip andto gradually relax its economic blockade on the enclave.
Security forces loyal to Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas deployed in Nablus late last year as part of aWestern-backed law-and-order campaign. But Palestinianofficials say frequent Israeli raids into the city haveundermined that effort.
(Reporting by Atef Saad in Nablus; Brenda Gazzar inJerusalem and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by AdamEntous; Editing by Dominic Evans)
