By Amos Harel Haaretz 11 August 2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1106689.html

Dozens of Islamic terrorists have entered the Gaza Strip over the past year
and are operating there in the framework of extremist organizations
identified with the "Worldwide Jihad." The terrorists are Sunni Muslims,
many of whom have taken part in the fighting against American forces in
Iraq. So far, as much as is known, these terrorists have been involved in a
relatively small number of attacks.

Various groups inspired by Al-Qaida and other similar organizations are
responsible for the relatively recent attempts to launch terror attacks from
Gaza. Two months ago the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service
prevented an attempted attack which involved sending booby-trapped horses to
the Erez crossing point. An extremist splinter group was behind the failed
terror attack, but despite the reports in the Palestinian press, Israel did
not identify the involvement of any foreign terrorists in the attack.

The flow of foreign terrorists to Gaza will gradually increase, defense
officials forecast, as the friction between the extremist Sunni groups and
U.S. forces in Iraq diminishes in advance of the expected American
withdrawal. Israeli officials are of the opinion that Hamas is not
particularly interested in having these foreigners enter the Strip since
they do not act under Hamas instructions and are identified with even more
extremist and uncompromising ideologies than Hamas itself.