One of Ours

...in Gaza, an unusual confrontation late Monday resulted in the deaths of three - a Hamas militant and two armed men who tried to steal the militant's explosives, according to Hamas and Palestinian security officials.

Hamas said the two gunmen were collaborators with Israeli intelligence, while Palestinian security officials said they were criminals who were involved in a car theft ring that brought stolen vehicles from Israel to Gaza.

Hamas said the bomber was on his way to try to infiltrate Israel, accompanied by another Hamas member and a guide, when they were stopped by the armed men.

The robbers forced the bomber to lie on the ground and tried to steal the bomb, but the militant detonated it, killing all three. The other Hamas man and the guide escaped.

There have been cases of rival groups stealing each other's explosives, but no group claimed the two gunmen. Their families did not go to the hospital to retrieve the bodies, indicating that the two were not militants, who are revered in Palestinian society.

A Hamas official said that whatever their intention, the two should be considered agents of Israel. "Anyone who tries to stop a fighter from doing his work is a collaborator,"