1 Palestinian gunmen ambushed an Israeli gasoline tanker in the PLO-ruled Gaza Strip on Monday, killing an Israeli security guard in an escort car and wounding another, Palestinian police said.
2 Israel radio said the front of the escort car was sprayed with dozens of bullets.
3 PLO chief Yasser Arafat has been under mounting Israeli pressure to crack down on Palestinian militants in areas under his control, and Monday's attack was likely to further strain Israeli-PLO relations.
4 The attack occurred about 8:45 a.m. (0645 GMT) when gunmen hiding in roadside orchards near the town of Beit Lahia fired on the tanker and escort car, said a Palestinian police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
5 The gunmen then jumped into a getaway car, the officer said. Four Palestinian policemen riding in a car behind the truck fired in the air and rushed to the Israelis to administer medical aid, the officer said.
6 The plainclothes officers were assigned to escort the truck, Palestinian police said. It was not immediately clear why they fired in the air and not at the gunmen.
7 Minutes later, Israeli troops and Palestinian police reinforcements arrived and began searching the orchards, the Palestinian officer said.
8 Israel radio said the police also searched nearby houses.
9 The attack came three days before Arafat was to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to try and revive talks on expanding autonomy to the West Bank. Israel has said it would not implement the next phase -- a troop pullout from West Bank towns -- until Arafat proved he could foil attacks by militants.
10 The negotiations stopped after two Islamic militants set off a bomb in central Israel on Jan. 22, killing 21 Israelis. The two suicide bombers came from the Gaza Strip.
11 In response, Israel sealed the West Bank and Gaza, barring tens of thousands of Palestinian workers from their jobs. On Sunday, Israel's Cabinet lifted some restrictions, but the bulk of the laborers still cannot reach Israel.

Palestinian gunmen ambushed an Israeli gasoline tanker in the PLO - ruled Gaza Strip on Monday , killing an Israeli security guard in an escort car and wounding another , Palestinian police said .
escort car
Why was an escort car following the gasoline tanker?