Palestinian militant kills himself while placing bomb

JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian militant from the Hamas group blew himself up while trying to plant a bomb along a road used frequently by Israelis in the West Bank, Israel said Thursday. Hamas said he died under "heroic" circumstances.

Though casualties have been low on both sides of the Mideast conflict recently, Israel says the Palestinians have failed to arrest militants and meet commitments under a truce.

Israel has been "compelled to deal with Palestinian terrorism directly and use all means at its disposal in order to foil planned attacks," a government statement said.

In the latest incident, the dismembered body of 22-year-old Hamas activist Hani Rawajbeh was found early Thursday near a road used by Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers. A soldier was slightly wounded Wednesday in a bomb explosion on the road.

Hamas said Rawajbeh died was carrying out a "heroic operation." Hamas has planted numerous roadside bombs in the past year of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, and a number of Hamas activists have been killed by explosives that went off prematurely.