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In a video clip released by the military, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said the incident was over within 15 minutes on the Israeli side. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told parliament that eight militants were killed by Israeli forces who struck from the air, as well as with tanks and artillery. The attack was the third cross-border infiltration since Mubarak's overthrow. In one, in August 2011, eight Israelis were killed. Israel is building a fence along the border to block militants as well as illegal African migrants, but also wants Egypt to crack down harder on the border region. "We hope this will be a fitting wakeup call for the Egyptians to take things in hand on their side more forcefully," Barak told parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee on Monday. Egypt-Israel relations have always been cool but since Mubarak was overthrown and Islamists rose to power, Israeli officials have expressed concern that ties would further deteriorate. Israel is particularly concerned that Egypt will ease restrictions on entering and leaving the Gaza Strip. Sunday's attack took place around sunset near the Egyptian border town of Rafah, when the troops at the checkpoint were having the traditional meal at the end of the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Immediately after, Egypt shut the Rafah crossing with Gaza, an ominous sign for the Palestinian territory's 1.6 million people. Israel bars Gazans from entering Israel, so the Rafah crossing
-- the only exit from the tiny coastal territory not under direct Israeli control
-- is their sole gateway to the outside world. Gaza officials disowned the attack but gave mixed signals over whether residents of the territory may have carried it out. Gaza's deputy prime minister, Mohammed Awad of the ruling Hamas movement, said militants from the territory were "not involved in this awful crime." But a leading Hamas member, Mohammed Zahar, undercut that denial, telling Al-Jazeera TV that he asked Egypt to provide the names of possible suspects from Gaza so that "we will immediately bring them to justice." The attack could harm Hamas' efforts to persuade Morsi to ease restrictions at the crossing. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and had hoped that Morsi, a fellow member of the region-wide movement, would be sympathetic to its requests. But he has moved cautiously, in part because of concerns about an influx of militants from Gaza.
[Associated
Press;
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