New United States envoy George Mitchell arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday to news that an Israeli soldier had been killed and three others wounded in an attack along the border with Gaza. Palestinians said a farmer was killed in a retaliatory strike and hours later Israeli ground troops moved into Gaza for a few hours. Overnight, Israeli aircraft targeted smuggling tunnels that pass under the border between Gaza and Egypt. Palestinian leader Mahmoud ‘Abbas condemned the Israeli operation, while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed Israel’s right to self-defense. The Israeli security cabinet is slated to convene on Wednesday to discuss yesterday’s incident and its ramifications. Mitchell is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday.