Israel has sent ground forces into the Gaza Strip for the first time since it unilaterally withdrew from there last fall. The target was an Islamic Jihad Qassam rocket crew that was preparing to fire into Israel from what used to be the Israeli community of Dugit before the withdrawal. Since that time, the coastal town has often been used as a base from which to launch rockets at Israel. The soldiers waited for the crew to arrive and then opened fire, killing three. They were backed-up by a helicopter gun ship. A fourth Palestinian man was killed by a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter. Three others were killed in army actions across the West Bank during the early morning hours.