Talon Posted October 1, 2004 #1 Share Posted October 1, 2004 More Israeli tanks head into Gaza More Israeli tanks have entered northern Gaza as the army intensifies its operation against Palestinian militants in the area. Palestinian sources say about 100 tanks have moved into the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp and the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. At least five Palestinians have been killed by missile strikes in Jabaliya. The move comes after Israel's security cabinet unanimously approved a plan for a major military operation in Gaza. High death toll The open-ended ground operation aims to stop Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli border towns, officials say. It is the first time for more than two years that Israeli tanks had entered the Jabaliya refugee camp, home to more than 100,000 people and one of the most crowded places in the world. Palestinians are reportedly burning tyres to obscure the view of Israeli drones flying overhead. The BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says Israeli tanks have thrust into the centre of what is a densely crowded stronghold of groups like the Hamas organisation. North of the Jabaliya camp, Israeli special forces are reported to have killed one Palestinian when they arrested a group of seven men who were said to have planned an attack on the Erez border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The man was reportedly killed when he tried to escape. Israeli radio said the group of men had approached the crossing disguised as Palestinian police. Thirty-five tanks were seen entering Beit Hanoun, while another 30 were seen pushing into Beit Lahiya and 30 more spotted moving into the eastern sector of Jabaliya, the Associated Press said. At least 27 Palestinians and three Israelis died in fighting in Gaza on Thursday - one of the bloodiest days since the intifada began in 2000. Many civilians were among the dead and injured. A day earlier, a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza had killed two children in the Israeli town of Sderot. On Friday, another Palestinian rocket fell in the Israeli border town, but no one was injured, medics and witnesses said. 'Days of Penitence' Mr Sharon's plan - codenamed Days of Penitence - includes an expanded ground operation in northern Gaza, officials said. Zalman Shoval, a senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, told the BBC on Friday: "No government can allow a situation to develop where terrorists launch missiles and mortar shells at civilian populations." Dozens of tanks had been deployed because "the army thought that was the best way to go ahead and to drive away potential rocket launchers", he added. But Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said Israel was using "disproportionate force" in the operation. The Palestinian Authority has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to debate "barbaric massacres" by Israeli troops in Gaza. The Gaza Strip has been occupied by Israel since it captured the territory in the 1967 war. Palestinian rocket attacks are complicating Mr Sharon's plans to end Israel's occupation of Gaza, observers say. Militants are keen to portray any eventual Israeli withdrawal as a retreat under fire, and many expect the violence to escalate. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3706224.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted October 1, 2004 Author #2 Share Posted October 1, 2004 'Jewish settlers' attack US workers Two US Christian volunteers were beaten and robbed by masked attackers they suspect were Jewish settlers while escorting Palestinian children to school. Kim Lamberty and Chris Brown say they were kicked, beaten with a chain and had their possessions stolen close to the Maon settlement, near Hebron. A settler spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident and opposed any violation of the law. Israeli police said they were investigating the assault. Ms Lamberty suffered a broken arm and Mr Brown a punctured lung in the attack. Both have filed a complaint with Israeli police. 'Ambush' The two are members of Christian Peacemaker Teams - a group that monitors conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Hebron area. Whilst recovering in an Israeli hospital in Beersheba, Chris Brown told BBC News Online it had been "was an ambush - a premeditated attack". "They threw a stone at my head which knocked me over and then whipped me with chains," Mr Brown said. He said that Ms Lamberty had her passport, mobile phone and money stolen by the settlers. He also said that harassment of Christian volunteers working with Palestinians in the area is common. "They normally throw stones at us or fire their guns over our heads - but this is the most vicious assault so far." Palestinians also complain of violent intimidation by Jewish settlers in the Hebron area. Around 1,200 soldiers guard some 600 Jewish settlers living in an enclave in the heart of Hebron, home to 120,000 Palestinians - an area that has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the four-year-old Palestinian intifada or uprising. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3701036.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffybunny Posted October 1, 2004 #3 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Considering how previous threads of this topic have done in the past, I am going to pull a Bush and pre-emptively strike this one down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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