2 Israeli Guards Killed at Plant Near West Bank Line

JERUSALEM, April 25 -- A Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli security guards at a factory near the barrier between Israel and the West Bank on Friday, as Israel dismissed a Hamas proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Friday's attack was unusual in that most of the recent violence against Israeli targets has emanated from Gaza, not the West Bank. The attack underscored the challenge facing the Palestinian Authority, which holds sway in the West Bank but has been criticized by Israel for not doing enough to enhance security.

Several armed groups took responsibility for the killings, including Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. The security guards were attacked just after 7 a.m. at the entrance to the industrial zone of Nitzanei Shalom. The area is on the Israel-West Bank border and includes Israeli factories that employ Palestinians. The two guards, both men in their 50s, were shot as they were checking Palestinians reporting for work.

The gunman escaped.

"This attack was carried out by extremists who are enemies of peace," said Israeli government spokesman David Baker.

Palestinian Authority officials condemned the attack, saying it was intended to embarrass President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in Washington this week discussing peace negotiations.

Before returning to the Palestinian territories, Abbas said Friday that he had failed to achieve progress in talks with President Bush and suggested that reaching an agreement with Israel before this U.S. administration leaves office in January would be difficult.

"Frankly, so far nothing has been achieved," Abbas told the Associated Press, referring to the peace process inaugurated in Annapolis last November. "But we are still conducting direct work to have a solution."

Also Friday, Israel rejected a cease-fire proposal by Hamas. The movement said it would be willing to accept a truce only in Gaza. Previously, Hamas had insisted that any deal also include the West Bank, an idea Israel rejected.

The Hamas proposal called for a six-month truce provided that Israel agree to lift the tight economic blockade imposed on Gaza since the group seized control there last June.

Hamas and allied groups in the narrow coastal strip have launched an almost daily barrage of rocket fire into southern Israel, to which the Israeli military has responded with ground incursions and airstrikes. In recent months, Egypt has tried to mediate an end to the violence, but Israeli officials said Friday they are not prepared to accept Hamas's terms.

"Israel is seeking peace, as well as quiet, on its southern border," Baker said. "But we don't believe Hamas is serious about this issue. They would only use this period to try to regroup and reorganize until they launch their next terrorist offensive."

Hamas officials said Friday they will continue to press for a deal through Egypt.

Earlier this week, Hamas rejected a truce proposal by former president Jimmy Carter, who asked the group to unilaterally halt its attacks for a month. Hamas responded that it will not stop unless Israel agrees to do the same.

Hamas, which is officially sworn to the destruction of Israel but has indicated a willingness to accept the 1967 boundaries as the basis for a peace deal, has carried out deadly attacks on Gaza's crossings with Israel in recent weeks. Hamas says it is attempting to end the Israeli blockade, but Israel says the attacks prove that the group is trying to generate a crisis.

Thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Friday against the blockade, which allows only basic humanitarian goods into the strip. Two rallies took place simultaneously -- one near the Erez crossing into Israel and another near the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Both crossings are effectively closed for the vast majority of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

Gaza has been suffering from an acute fuel shortage. International observers say that Israel is not supplying enough fuel but that the problem has been worsened by a strike led by gas-station owners, who refuse to distribute the fuel that is available because they insist it is inadequate.

The United Nations said Thursday night it will have to stop delivering food aid because of the lack of fuel for its vehicles.