|
Update: Army enters Rafah to demolish tunnels; four Palestinians killed
JPost Reg Reqâd - update to yesterdayâs postArmy forces trying to demolish Palestinian weapons-smuggling tunnels fought Palestinian gunmen for hours Friday in the largest army raid in half a year in the Rafah "refugee camp", a frequent battlefield. Four Palestinians were killed and 38 wounded, and a soldier was also hurt. wounded in Rafah = dead 2 days later The raid, which began around midnight Thursday, was part of stepped-up military activity in response to last weekendâs suicide bombing that killed 20 Israelis in a restaurant in the port city of Haifa. Media reports said the operation could last several days. The Rafah raid was aimed at uncovering weapons-smuggling tunnels. Armored vehicles and attack helicopters swept into the camp on Gazaâs border with Egypt, joined by special forces, including engineering units with dogs trained to find tunnels. Gun battles erupted between soldiers and Palestinian gunmen and continued until after daybreak Friday. Palestinians said four Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed and 38 people wounded by Israeli fire. Most of the casualties were caused when a helicopter fired a missile at a crowd. The military said the missile targeted a group of gunmen. A soldier was also lightly wounded in the fighting.
well, they shouldnât have been shooting, right? Mousa said his hospital was overwhelmed by the large numbers of casualties. He said many of the wounded required surgery, but that he has only one operating room and did not have enough medicine and other supplies. "because we spend all our money on bombs, rockets, and that pig in Paris - Suha" Normally, serious cases are sent to hospitals in other towns, but those patients could not be transferred because of the Israeli travel restrictions, he said. The army bulldozed three houses it said gunmen were firing from near the border. Thunderous explosions could be heard. The military said Palestinians hurled hand grenades and fired anti-tank missiles at the forces. The army positioned snipers on rooftops and fired a tank shell at an electricity transformer, plunging the camp into darkness. Because of the heavy fighting, the military was not able to begin searching for smuggling tunnels until after daybreak and had not yet found any, the army said. Military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel had intelligence warnings that Palestinians were planning to use tunnels to smuggle in anti-aircraft missiles - weapons that could have a strategic impact on the three-year conflict. They said Palestinians were trying to get shoulder-held Stinger missiles good call Fred that could shoot down attack helicopters Israel often uses in Gaza, and could also threaten Israeli warplanes or civilian aircraft flying close to the coastal strip. Also, they said, the Palestinians were trying to smuggle Katyusha rockets, which would have the range to hit Israeli cities near Gaza. During the conflict, the Palestinians have been aiming homemade mortars and rockets at Israeli towns and settlements. So far this year, the military said it has destroyed 33 smuggling tunnels in the area. The tunnels have been used to bring in munitions and rifles, as well as drugs. Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-10 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=19695 |