Israeli military seizes Hamas official; 2 Palestinians killed

NORTHERN GAZA (CNN) -- Israel Defense Forces seized a Hamas official Monday after the IDF said its soldiers killed two armed Palestinians the night before trying to invade the Israeli settlement of Dugit.

The IDF said it had arrested a man, seized from a Palestinian area of Gaza, identified as Abed Rabbo Abu Husa. Israel said he is a member of Hamas' military wing and is suspected of involvement in the abduction-slayings of two IDF soldiers in the late 1980s.

Sunday night's killings occurred in northern Gaza after an Israeli armored force identified a squadron of armed terrorists and opened fire near the settlement, the IDF said.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said the men were Palestinian policemen.

The Israeli military said it was reacting to a "terror attempt directed against civilians or soldiers" and said the Palestinians had Kalashnikov rifles.

The IDF said it was the third attempt at infiltrating a Gaza settlement in the past 10 days.

WAFA reported that the men were killed after Israeli tanks entered northern Gaza early Monday, firing shells and machine guns. The news agency said a private school attended by Palestinian children also was damaged.

The Palestinian public security chief in Gaza, Brig. Gen. Abdel Razek Majaida, said the Palestinians were shot dead while lying wounded on the ground, the news service reported. Palestinian doctors said tanks ran over the bodies, it said.

WAFA identified the men as Mohammad Abu Dalal and Mohammad Ibrahim.