An Israeli army tank ran over alarge roadside bomb today and burst into flames near aJewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, Israelisecurity sources and Palestinian witnesses said.
It was not immediately known how many soldiers were insidethe tank and whether there were any casualties. The Israeli armyrefused immediate comment.
The military wing of Islamic militant group Hamas claimedresponsibility for the attack in a statement faxed to Reuters.Hamas has spearheaded a 28-month-old Palestinian militantuprising against Israel for a state in Gaza and the West Bank.
Palestinian witnesses said the tank burst into flames afterseveral explosions in the area near the fortified Jewishsettlement of Dugit at the northern end of the desert strip thatskirts the Mediterranean Sea.
"The tank went over a large bomb in the northern GazaStrip," a security source said without elaborating.Witnesses reported Israeli helicopter gunships clatteringover the area minutes after the blast.
Palestinian militants have blown up several Merkava-3 tanks,a symbol of the Jewish state's military prowess, with roadsidebombs in Gaza during the uprising.
In December, Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at aPalestinian Authority compound in Gaza, killing a mastermilitant bombmaker responsible for blowing up three Merkavasover the previous year, killing seven crew members.