JERUSALEM — An Israeli man at work on a kibbutz and an 8-year-old Palestinian girl at play in the Gaza Strip died Thursday in aerial attacks by Hamas and Israel, an increase in cross-border violence that could set back Egypt's effort to forge a truce.
A mortar round fired at midday from near the Gaza town of Khan Yunis struck a paint factory on the Nir Oz kibbutz 2 1/2 miles away, killing Amnon Rosenberg, 51.
About two hours later, an Israeli jet fired a missile at Hamas militants close to the source of the mortar fire, the army said. The missile missed the target and killed Ayah Najar as she played outside her home, Palestinian medical workers said.
The Israel-Gaza border had been relatively quiet in recent weeks as Egyptian mediators passed messages back and forth between the two sides. But the peace effort had begun to stall, and the bloodshed Thursday indicated that Israel and Hamas were running out of patience.
Hamas, an Islamist group that advocates Israel's destruction, claimed responsibility for firing three mortar rounds, calling the attack an answer to "nonstop aggression against our people." The 120-millimeter shell that killed Rosenberg wounded four workers in the storage area of the factory in southern Israel.
Israeli government spokesman David Baker said Hamas would "be held accountable." Israeli defense officials are to discuss a response Sunday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after his return from a visit to Washington.
The Israeli officials are skeptical of a Hamas proposal for a six-month truce and are expected to consider stepped-up military action in Gaza, an option that Defense Minister Ehud Barak says is probable.
"We are not eager for a military operation," Olmert told reporters in Washington. "But we are not shying away from one."
Israeli officials worry that Hamas would use a truce to bring more weapons into Gaza through Egypt; they have demanded that any agreement include a halt to the smuggling. Israel also wants Hamas to release an Israeli soldier held in Gaza for nearly two years.
For its part, Hamas seeks the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and an end to the economic blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza since the militant group seized control of the coastal enclave a year ago.
