Palestinian terrorists operating out of the Gaza Strip fired three rockets and at least one mortar shells into southern Israel Tueday night and early Wednesday morning.

One of the rockets damaged a house in a small kibbutz in southern Israel, but failed to cause any injuries. The other rockets landed in open areas.

Israeli warplanes responded by bombing a tunnel in northern Gaza used to conceal and transport terrorist arms.

The overnight and early morning barrage follows a similar rocket attack launched from Gaza last weekend.

Some Israelis fear the Palestinians could begin ratcheting up the level of violence ahead of a Palestinian bid to unilaterally declare statehood at the UN in September.

While that strategy would seem counterproductive, the international community had demonstrated time and again that its chosen method of dealing with Palestinian violence is appeasement.

In other violence, a Palestinian man was shot and killed during an anti-terror raid by Israeli forces in the Samarian ("West Bank") town of Nablus early Wednesday morning.

Israeli army officials said the 22-year-old man attempted to flee the area as the soldiers began nabbing wanted terrorist suspects.

The young man's flight raised susipicions that he was himself a terrorist, and soldiers ordered him to halt. When he failed to comply, the Israelis shot the man in the legs to stop him. Palestinian medical sources said he later died of his injuries.