Islamic Jihad says member killed during foiled abduction attempt in S. Gaza

GAZA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said Friday one of its members was killed as an attempt to abduct him by militias allegedly backed by Israel was foiled in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the group said a militia force advanced earlier in the day toward the al-Qarara area north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza in an attempt to abduct one of its members.

In the exchange of fire that followed, the force shot and killed the intended target, identified as Fadi al-Abadla of the group's al-Qarara Battalion in the Khan Younis Brigade.

A security source told Xinhua that the Israeli military provided fire cover for the withdrawal of the force.

There was no immediate comment from the militias or the Israeli military.

The militias, based on the eastern outskirts of the Gaza Strip, are reportedly armed with various types of weapons and have repeatedly attempted to move into areas deeper inside the enclave to carry out security-related operations.