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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Military funeral for Islamic Jihad fighter |
| 2010-03-30 |
| [Ma'an] A military funeral was held in Khan Younis Monday for a Palestinian combatant of the the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, whose corpse was retrieved from the site of earlier clashes with Israeli forces. Al-Quds Brigades member Suleiman Abu Arafat was killed Friday in the bloodiest fighting in Gaza between Palestinian operatives and Israeli forces since the end of Israel's Operation Cast Lead 14 months prior. Abu Arafat's funeral procession began in the An-Nasser Hospital and ended in A'bsan, his hometown, at the Abdul Rahman Mosque for prayer, and then to his burial site at the A'bsan cemetery. The Al-Quds Brigades and resistance factions present at the funeral called for a response to Israel's increased military operations in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Abdullah Ash-Shami, an Islamic Jihad leader, warned Israeli forces against an escalation of violence in the besieged coastal enclave in response to the death of two Israeli soldiers in Friday's clashes, saying "what will come is greater." Ash-Shami told mourners that "blood is the title of this stage," adding that negotiations are deemed undesirable by the Israeli government. On Sunday, medics confirmed that Abu Arafat's body had been found in the Al-Faqqassa area east of A'basan, and was transferred to the An-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance and emergency services, said Abu Arafat was the brother of Hamdi, who died of wounds also sustained in Friday's clashes. The Al-Quds Brigades had previously announced that the body of one of its combatants was missing following violent confrontations in which two Israeli soldiers were killed, as well as two Palestinian resistance fighters. Dozens were injured. Several Israeli military vehicles crossed into southern Gaza shortly thereafter, reportedly opening fire as bulldozers destroyed land. Witnesses said the forces were predominantly targeting olive groves and almond fields in the Abasan Al-Jadida area east of Khan Younis. An Israeli military spokesman said the incident was sparked when a force found an explosive device, which the source said was detonated. On Saturday, the army reported destroying "terrorist infrastructure" in the same area, the site of Friday's clashes. |
| Posted by:Fred |