IDF strike on Rafah building kills leaders of PRC, group said to be responsible for attacks

              The army bombed a target in Gaza Thursday evening in response to four terror attacks that killed seven Israelis and injured 31 in the south. The IDF says the target was a Rafah building used by terrorists, and Palestinian sources reported six dead in the strike, among them two senior operatives in the Popular Resistance Committees. The two senior operatives are, according to Palestinian sources, Abu Oud al-Nirab, the commander of the group's military wing, and Khaled Shaath, a senior member of the terror group. Preliminary reports say IDF aircraft bombed a house, killing the two men and four others inside. Earlier, the IDF scattered fliers in the area, sources said. It remains unclear what the fliers said. Palestinian news agencies reported that the PRC was responsible for the attacks in the south. A spokesman for the group threatened retaliation for the strike. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, announced that it will retaliate against any Israeli offensive on the Gaza strip. A spokesman for the brigades, Abu Obeida, said: "Any Israeli military operation against the Gaza Strip will be considered an act of aggression. We will respond to any such aggression with all our might." Earlier Palestinian sources reported that Hamas' interior minister ordered the the security forces headquarters in Gaza to be immediately evacuated for fear of IDF retaliation. It was also reported that Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing until further notice. The central cargo channel was shut immediately after the terror attack. Hamas voiced concerns that Israel "is trying to export the crisis that has befallen it, and transfer it to Gaza." Defense Minister Ehud Barak has hinted that harsh retaliation is to follow, saying while visiting the south that "Gaza is a source of terror, and we will take full-force action against them." "There will be a price tag to this event," he said. "Gaza will be severely hit. It is clear that the plan (for the attack) came from terror organizations in Gaza…The IDF will soon prepare for a response." (20,00)