Israeli strike reportedly kills Islamic Jihad activist

An Israeli soldier and a Jewish settler, wearing a T-shirt depicting the 10-month-old girl killed in Mideast violence, attend the baby's funeral in Hebron on Sunday

RAFAH, Gaza (CNN) -- A senior member of the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad died in an Israeli helicopter attack Monday, Palestinian security officials said.

Mohammed Abdel Al, 28, was in his pickup truck in the town of Rafah in Gaza when it was hit by four missiles fired by an Israeli helicopter gunship early Monday afternoon, Palestinian officials said. Islamic Jihad had claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at a shopping center in Jerusalem last week that injured six people.

Another person riding in the pickup was injured in the attack, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Israeli military authorities had no immediate comment on the strike. But Israel Radio reported that Al had been on Israel's list of people it says are at the forefront of the six-month-old Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli sources told CNN that Al was on his way to carry out two "large attacks" on Israelis and had been responsible for past attacks.

TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  • Bombings  • Activist deaths

Islamic Jihad vowed revenge for the killing.

Palestinian sources said that Al had been arrested by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but was released from jail last year.

A short time later, witnesses reported a heavy exchange of gunfire between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Small weapons and artillery or mortar fire was heard near a refugee camp.

Firing in the area is not uncommon at night, but residents said the half-hour-long firefight was very intense for daytime.

More than a dozen Palestinians have been killed in targeted operations attributed to Israel in six months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, but there had been no such killings since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took office last month. On Friday, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warned that Israel would end what he called "a policy of restraint."

Al's death came as Israelis prepared to bury an army reservist killed Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces said Sgt. 1st Class Yaakov Krentzel died during a gun battle between Palestinians and Israeli troops east of the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday night.

Earlier, Israeli army officials blamed Jewish settlers in the divided city of Hebron for the bombing of a Palestinian-owned bakery that injured three police officers and heavily damaged two adjacent Palestinian shops. Israeli army officials condemned the attack, which they said endangered the lives of their troops nearby.

A Palestinian on Monday views the wreckage of his Hebron grocery shop, which was destroyed in an explosion Sunday night

The bombing followed the funeral for a 10-month-old Jewish girl killed by a sniper firing from Palestinian-controlled territory last week, and the burial of an 11-year-old Palestinian boy who died after being shot and wounded two weeks ago by Israeli troops.

Since the Palestinian uprising began in late September, more than 400 people, mostly Palestinians, have died in months of street battles and bombings. Sharon says the uprising must end before peace talks can resume.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was to visit U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday in the hope of pushing the new administration to a more active role in Mideast peace talks. Bush has taken a less personal interest in the Mideast than his predecessor Bill Clinton, and has looked to moderate Arab states Egypt and Jordan to lower tensions.

"I'm going to tell them what I feel," Mubarak said in an interview with Newsweek magazine, published Sunday. "Usually I have good trips to the United States. Sometimes, we fight. But it's good fighting -- without blood."

Egypt and Jordan are working on a new diplomatic initiative with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and Mubarak wants the United States to push Israel to resume negotiations. Bush has said he won't speak to Arafat until he publicly condemns the violence.

Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and Senior White House Correspondent John King contributed to this report.

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