Jerusalem-----September 24.....After Israel made a hard and painful sacrifice for peace through its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinian Islamic terrorists continue to wage war against the Jewish state.

Israel Defense Forces troops have been ordered to the Gaza border today and vowed a "crushing" military response to Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel towns.

At the same time, security forces were mobilized in the West Bank last night killing three wanted Islamic Jihad terrorists. According to Israel security sources, the three were responsible for shooting attacks against Israel civilian and IDF forces in the area of Tulkarm.

During a joint IDF, Israeli Police and ISA activity in the villages of Tzeida and Ilar in the Tulkarm area aimed at arresting the three wanted Islamic Jihad terrorists, the terrorists attempted to escape while firing at security forces and were subsequently killed.

The terrorists who were gunned down were Jamil Nazya Jamil Ja'ara, 25, a resident of the village of Ilar, Sa'id Taleb Sa'id Ashkar, 23, considered to be closely connected to the heads of the Islamic Jihad infrastructure and Ra'ed Ahmed Mahmoud J'Agag, 28, resident of the village of Tzeidah, a senior wanted terrorist since 2003, who began his terror activity in the Islamic Jihad terror cell in Tzeidah and has since become its head.

The three were all armed and wearing bullet-proof vests. Two AK- 47 assault rifles were found on the bodies of Sa'id Taleb and Jamil Ja'ara, and an M-16 rifle and pistol were found on the person of Ra'ed Agag. The three were involved in shooting attacks aimed at civilian and military Israeli targets in the area of Tulkarm, in the abduction and violent interrogation of Palestinians who were suspected of cooperating with Israel.

The three had also accumulated information necessary to the development of missiles which would enable the Islamic Jihad infrastructure in the area to fire projectile weaponry at Israeli communities in Samaria. This Islamic Jihad terrorist cell is one of the dominant branches of the Islamic Jihad infrastructure in Tulkarm. The head of this infrastructure is Louie Sa'adi, who directs the activity of all its cells and is responsible for the planning of all its terror attacks.

This specific infrastructure has been responsible for a long line of terror attacks carried out in the past year, the most prominent of which were the suicide bombing at the "Stage" club in Tel Aviv in February 2005, in which 5 Israelis were murdered and 55 wounded. The terror suicide bombing at the "Sharon" mall in Netanya, in which 5 Israelis were murdered and 88 wounded. And a car bomb in the community of Shavei Shomron in July 2005, in which no one was harmed.

This Islamic terror infrastructure, along with Islamic Jihad's infrastructure in Jenin, is highly active and presents a serious threat to the entire Samaria area. The infrastructure had specifically been planning additional terror attacks during the past few days. The terrorists had planned to carry out some of these attacks in the past few weeks but were unable to do so due to the activities of the Israeli security forces, and had been planning additional attacks in the next few days. Israel also imposed a blanket closure on the West Bank and Gaza, barring thousands of Palestinian laborers from jobs in Israel.

Shortly after Israel Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz gave the order to deploy troops near Gaza yesterday, witnesses reported hearing three loud booms in Gaza City and said they saw Israeli warplanes overhead. But Palestinian officials said no one was hurt.

A large explosion went off at a Hamas rally in the Jebaliya refugee camp yesterday, killing at least four Palestinians and wounding 56, hospital officials said. Witnesses pulled body parts out of a vehicle that appeared to have been destroyed by the blast, which Palestinian officials said was caused when an explosive device in the vehicle went off. Israel army officials denied involvement in the incident.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry accused Israel of having launched "fake" airstrikes to terrify the Palestinian population "We have to make it clear to the Palestinians that Israel will not let the recent events pass without a response," Mofaz said in a statement, referring to the Hamas rocket fire. "The response needs to be crushing."

The overnight rocket barrage by Hamas was the first since Israel pulled out of Gaza nearly two weeks ago. Israel has said it will show "zero tolerance" for attacks after the withdrawal. Mofaz decided to deploy troops on Israel's border with Gaza after meeting his security chiefs, an official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the meeting.

Thousands of reserve soldiers received call-up notices, and their leaves were canceled. Mofaz also said Israel might resume targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists.

During more than four years of Palestinian terror attacks against Israel men, women and children, scores of terrorists were killed in targeted attacks, most by missiles fired from Israel Defense Forces aircraft.

The Israeli forces will be concentrated opposite northern Gaza, from where 21 rockets were fired at Israeli border towns overnight, the official said. Five Israelis were injured in the attacks. Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, and the head of the Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin, also participated in the meeting. The security chiefs said Israel needs to maintain its deterrence and that its response to the Hamas rocket fire after the Gaza pullout will be seen as a test case.

The upsurge in violence was a blow to international hopes that the pullout could revive peacemaking. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon already has a difficult week ahead. He faces a challenge in a key vote in his Likud party from right-wing opponents who have said giving up Gaza would bring more bloodshed. His rival Benjamin Netanyahu says Sharon's aim of "disengaging" from conflict with the Palestinians by pulling out of Gaza was a mistake that would reward terror attacks and encourage more.

Israel evacuated all 21 of its settlements in Gaza and dismantled four settlements in the West Bank.

Hamas blamed Israel for the blast which killed 15 people in a Hamas Gaza demonstration, although the Palestinian Authority said it appeared to have been an accident caused by Hamas members carrying explosives in an area packed with people.

Israel resumed airstrikes against Hamas targets, hitting several suspected weapons workshops, and imposed a blanket closure that bars all Palestinians from its territory. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called his Security Cabinet for a meeting later Saturday to approve the military's response, expected to last several days. A large-scale operation appeared unlikely but the timing of the Cabinet meeting suggested a sense of urgency.

Friday's explosion brought a terrified end to one of the last victory rallies by armed terrorists celebrating Israel's Gaza pullout. Abbas' ruling Fatah movement canceled a final rally it had planned for Saturday.

ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY