(Updated: Originally published November 2-4, 2006)
"Big Israeli Strike With Tanks Kills 8 Palestinians in Gaza" by GREG MYRE
JERUSALEM, Nov. 1 — Israeli troops staged one of the largest raids into the Gaza Strip in recent months on Wednesday, killing eight Palestinians and wounding more than 40 in gun battles that began before dawn and lasted much of the day. One Israeli soldier was also killed.
The Israeli soldiers, in tanks, on foot and backed by helicopters, exchanged fire with Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza farming town of Beit Hanun, the launching ground for many of the Palestinian rockets fired into southern Israel.
As the two sides battled, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s security cabinet met in Jerusalem and debated whether to step up the 4-month-old military operations in Gaza.
In recent weeks, some senior political and military officials have expressed support for expanded operations to halt Palestinian rocket fire in northern Gaza and rooting out weapons smuggling tunnels on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
But the security cabinet chose not to escalate military actions, at least for now. In a statement, the security cabinet said the military would continue the “current security activity.”
Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of Israel Beiteinu, a far-right party that just joined the governing coalition, said the military should take a much tougher approach, Israel radio reported.
However, Israel’s defense minister, Amir Peretz, who leads the left-leaning Labor Party, opposed expanding the military operations, and his position carried the day.
“There is no intention to carry out operations for show, or operations to appease public opinion, but only defined operations whose goal is clear, whose purpose is not only deserving but necessary,” Mr. Peretz said.
Still, the incursion on Wednesday was one of the most wide-ranging since the Israeli military re-entered Gaza at the end of June.
The Israeli military pulled out of Gaza in September 2005, but returned after an Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, was captured and taken into the territory.
In a statement released by his office on Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, demanded that Israel “cease immediately all hostile actions against our people.”
Wednesday’s operation, like many that have preceded it, involved dozens of Israeli tanks and other armored vehicles. In addition, hundreds of infantry soldiers walked into the territory, which is much less common.
Most of the fighting was on the outskirts of Beit Hanun, in the northeast corner of Gaza. The eight Palestinians killed are five militants, a member of the Palestinian security forces and two people whose identities could not be immediately determined. Most of the wounded also were militants, though some civilians were hurt, according to Palestinian security officials and medical workers.
The Israeli military said its forces had come under fire from Palestinians with automatic rifles and antitank missiles.
Israeli troops took up positions atop Palestinian homes. Helicopters and drones flew overhead and carried out occasional strikes.
The Palestinians still managed to fire several rockets into southern Israel, lightly wounding one civilian, the military said.
Rami Hamad, a 24-year-old Hamas militant who was wounded, said he had been shot in the leg while trying to reach a fellow militant, Ahmad Saadat, who died.
“They have the sophisticated military power, but in our religion it says prepare whatever you have to confront the enemy,” Mr. Hamad said at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, where he was being treated. “Holy war is an obligation.”
At the hospital morgue, Yousef Saadat, 43, wept as he learned that his son had been killed. Mr. Saadat said he had urged his son to finish school and become a teacher, which he did. But Ahmad still insisted on becoming a militant. “He refused to get married,” Mr. Saadat said. “He spent his time preparing for martyrdom.”
The Israeli forces closed off the entrances and exits to Beit Hanun, and it was not clear how long they intended to remain. In recent months, the Israeli raids have typically lasted a day or two before the forces pulled back.
Since the Israeli troops returned to Gaza four months ago, more than 250 Palestinian militants and civilians have been killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups. Three soldiers have died.
Meanwhile, in the latest measure of the Palestinian economic crisis, Palestinian government revenue has fallen by 60 percent since Hamas, the radical Islamic group, came to power in March, the International Monetary Fund said in a new report.
Palestinian Authority revenue for the April-September period was $500 million in 2006, down from $1.2 billion during the same period a year earlier, the report said.
Israel, the European Union and the United States classify Hamas as a terrorist group and cut the flow of money to the government when it took over. As a result, the Palestinian Authority has paid salaries to government workers only partially and sporadically.
The sharp drop in government revenues was partly offset by increased international aid to nongovernmental groups. The aid for the April-September period was $420 million, up from $230 million a year earlier. Still, the overall economy has been contracting rapidly in recent months.
"Israeli Troops Kill 6 Palestinians in Second Straight Day of Fighting in Gaza Farming Town by GREG MYRE
JERUSALEM, Nov. 2 — Israeli troops on Thursday rounded up Palestinian men and battled militants for a second straight day in the northeastern corner of the Gaza Strip, killing six Palestinians, including militants and civilians, Palestinian medical workers said.
The Israeli operation in Beit Hanun, a farming community that has been the scene of frequent fighting, is one of the largest since Israeli forces entered Gaza four months ago. It is intended to stop, or at least limit, the persistent Palestinian rocket fire from the area into Israel, the Israeli military says.
Despite the large Israeli presence, Palestinians still managed to launch several more rockets Thursday from nearby areas in northern Gaza. One hit a house in the Israeli town of Sderot, which is just beyond Gaza’s perimeter fence, and two Israeli civilians were wounded, Israeli officials said.
The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniya, speaking in Gaza City, just a few miles from the fighting, said the Israeli action would not succeed. “We are completely sure this will fail, as all previous campaigns failed,” he said.
In Beit Hanun, the streets were largely deserted except for Israeli tanks and other armored vehicles that kicked up clouds of dust as they patrolled the town. Most of the town’s 30,000 residents remain holed up in their homes. The Israeli military interrupted Palestinian radio broadcasts, telling women, children and older men to stay inside for their safety.
Getting the picture? Gaza is a Warsaw Ghetto! But it gets better...
However, in a separate announcement on loudspeakers, the Israeli forces ordered all males ages 16 to 45 to gather at a square in the town. Many were put onto trucks and driven outside the town for questioning. Most were later released, but about 15 were held for further questioning, the Israeli military said. While the fighting was less intense than on Wednesday, when the Israeli incursion began, there was sporadic gunfire throughout the day.
On Thursday night, Israel carried out airstrikes against Palestinians responsible for firing rockets, the Israeli military said. Two Palestinians were killed, according to Palestinian medical workers. There were conflicting reports about whether they were militants or civilians.
I disregard what the Israeli military says.
They are the biggest liars on the planet, even bigger than Georgie.
Yup, gathered up "all males ages 16 to 45."
Tell me again the Nazi comparison is untrue. Go ahead.
Maybe you will finally believe it after you have repeated and repeated it over and over again to yourselves.
Earlier in the day, two Palestinian militants and two civilians were killed, said officials at Kamal Adwan Hospital. One of the civilians, Diab al-Bassioni, was in his 70s. Mr. Bassioni was hit by a bullet when he stepped outside to get water, his neighbors told Agence France-Presse. More than a dozen Palestinians were wounded, hospital officials said.
In two days of fighting, at least 14 Palestinians have been killed and more than 60 wounded, according to Palestinian hospitals. Most of the dead and wounded have been militants, though a number of women and children have also been hurt, according to the hospitals. One Israeli soldier was killed Wednesday, and two were lightly wounded on Thursday, the Israeli military said.
As usual, casualties define the TRUE AGGRESSOR in any war.
ASSASSINATING a 70-year-old man who "stepped outside to get water?"
The militants frequently fire from the orange and lemon groves on the outskirts of Beit Hanun, but Israel has bulldozed many of those orchards, removing the cover for the militants, as well as the livelihood of many residents.
COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT! You know what that is called don't you?
It's a WAR CRIME!
But don't worry, Israel never pays for her atrocious behavior!
They can kill UN personnel, bomb UN ships at sea, kill French UNIFIL troops, defy UN resolutions, and NEVER SUFFER CONSEQUENCES!!
Makes you wonder who really runs the world!
And then there was this beaut:
"Israeli soldiers conducted house-to-house searches, protected by rooftop snipers (Boston Globe November 3, 2007)."
Oh, how nice!
Was one of the nice Israeli snipers one of the guys who picked off Mr. al-Bassioni?
Of course, OUR SNIPERS are good boys protecting us; an Arab sniper protecting his is an insane, bloodthirsty terrorist!
Talk about double standards!
And then there was this. I am incredulous!
"Israel Kills 2 Women During Mosque Siege" by GREG MYRE
JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 — Israeli troops fired at a large crowd of unarmed Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip today as the women approached a mosque to help Palestinian militants holed up inside. Two women were killed and about 10 were injured, according to hospital workers.
The shooting provoked widespread outrage among Palestinians.
The Israeli military said its fire was directed at Palestinian gunmen who were hiding among the women as they marched toward the Um al-Nasir mosque in Beit Hanun, the town in the northeastern Gaza Strip where Israeli troops and militants have been battling for the past three days. The Israelis said eight militants were shot, and that they were not aware that women were hit, but were investigating.
Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, angrily called on the international community to “come here and witness the daily massacres that are being carried out against the Palestinian nation.”
Mr. Haniya also praised the women “who led the protest to break the siege of Beit Hanun.”
The shooting, which was captured by television cameras, was the most dramatic episode so far in the fighting in Beit Hanun. Israeli forces entered the town early on Wednesday in an attempt to stop Palestinian militants from firing rockets from the area into Israel.
As Israeli forces pursued the militants in the town on Thursday, an estimated 60 gunmen dashed inside the Um al-Nasir mosque, initiating a standoff that lasted through the night.
Israeli troops in armored vehicles surrounded the mosque. For several hours, soldiers used loudspeakers to call on the militants to surrender, and several did, according to the military. The Israelis also fired tear gas and stun grenades into the mosque in an attempt to force the gunmen out.
Around 3 a.m. today, the gunmen in the mosque began firing on the Israeli soldiers, who shot back, and heavy exchanges ensued, the military said.
The Israeli army called in an armored bulldozer and used it to knock down one wall of the mosque compound, the military and Palestinian witnesses said.
Early this morning, a Palestinian radio station called on women in the town to march to the mosque and support the gunmen inside. A short time later, hundreds of women, dressed in flowing black abayas and wearing head scarves, headed to the the scene.
As they approached the mosque, shots rang out, but the women continued marching. A moment later, a number of women were hit, and the crowd scattered. Some of the wailing women turning back, while others kept advancing toward the mosque, climbing over improvised dirt barriers set up by the Israeli forces.
“We heard the call for women to help the fighters, and we decided to go,” said Mona Abu Jasir, 37, who was hit by a bullet in the right leg. “We had no weapons, and we were walking toward the mosque when I was shot.”
Television footage showed at least one man in the crowd, though there was no indication that he had a weapon. The man was shot and fell to the ground, and was surrounded by women until rescue workers arrived.
One marcher, Suhad el-Masri, 28, said she and several of her relatives were carrying abayas — long flowing gowns — and scarves to give to the men.
“We took them so they could disguise themselves as women and escape,” said Ms. Masri. Her sister, Hiba Rajab, 20, sustained serious injuries when she was shot in both legs and her left arm.
In the ensuing chaos, some women reached the mosque, and the gunmen managed to slip away, the Israeli military and Palestinian witnesses said. It was not clear whether the gunmen dressed as women to facilitate their escape. Shortly after the standoff ended, the roof of the mosque collapsed, apparently from the cumulative damage sustained in the fighting.
Palestinian hospitals identified the two women who were killed as Amna Abu Oudah, 42, and Intissar Ali, 40.
Later in the day, about 1,000 women marched outside Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Gaza City, denouncing the Israeli actions and calling on Egypt to intervene.
Also in Beit Hanun, two young Palestinian males, ages 15 and 18, were killed by Israeli fire, Palestinian medical workers said. Over the past three days, more than 20 Palestinians have been killed, including militants and civilians, as well as one Israeli soldier.
So far, the Israeli incursion has not reduced the Palestinian rocket fire, which has continued for the past three days. Militants fired several more rockets from northern Gaza into southern Israel today, but there was no damage or injuries, the Israeli military said.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers arrested the Palestinian minister for housing and public works, Abdel Rahman Zaidan, who belongs to Hamas, the radical Islamic group that leads the Palestinian Authority.
Israel has arrested more than two dozen Palestinian legislators and cabinet ministers from Hamas in the West Bank over the past four months. The crackdown began after Palestinian militants, including those from Hamas, staged a cross-border raid and captured an Israeli soldier, and then took him into Gaza. That event also prompted the Israeli military to return to Gaza, which the army had left in September 2005."
Can you believe the scale of these crimes?
This story is heartbreaking! The WOMEN WERE TRYING TO SAVE THEIR MEN from being CARTED AWAY, TORTURED, and possibly KILLED!
I LOVE THEM, and hope that Fatima will gather my tears of mourning!
This next piece is somewhat repetitive, but gives you a little more in-depth about the women shot and killed.
Especially since the names are different.
Were more than two killed?
"Israelis Fire on Marchers Aiding Gaza Gunmen, Killing 2" by GREG MYRE
JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 — Israeli troops killed two Palestinian women and wounded some 10 others who were seeking to serve as human shields for Hamas militants holed up in a Gaza mosque on Friday after an overnight standoff. The troops fired on a crowd of women and at least a few men as they marched to the mosque.
Hundreds of women, urged on by Palestinian radio, were flocking to the mosque to try to prevent an Israeli attack and to help an estimated 60 men escape. In the chaos that erupted when the shooting began, the gunmen inside the mosque escaped.
The shooting provoked widespread outrage among Palestinians.
The Israeli military said its fire was directed at Palestinian gunmen hiding among the women as they marched toward the Um al-Nasir mosque in Beit Hanun, the town in the northeastern Gaza Strip where Israeli troops and militants have been battling for several days. The Israeli military said eight gunmen in the crowd had been shot, and while it acknowledged that many women had been present, it said it was not aware of having hit them. It also said there would be an investigation.
Tolls of the dead and wounded were provided by Palestinian hospitals. The two women killed were Ibtisam Masoud, 45, and Rawda Khelah, 48, according to Kamal Adwan Hospital. Video shot by Western news organizations showed women walking close together, then fleeing in several directions after the shooting began. The footage also showed at least two men, not visibly armed, among the women.
Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, angrily called for the international community to “come here and witness the daily massacres that are being carried out against the Palestinian nation.”
Mr. Haniya also praised the women “who led the protest to break the siege of Beit Hanun.”
The shooting, replayed on Palestinian television and Arab satellite channels, was the most dramatic episode in this week’s fighting in Beit Hanun.
Israeli forces entered the town early Wednesday trying to stop Palestinian rocket fire aimed at southern Israeli towns.
As Israeli forces pursued the militants in the town on Thursday, about 60 gunmen dashed into the Um al-Nasir mosque, setting off a standoff that lasted through the night.
Israeli troops in armored vehicles surrounded the mosque. For several hours, soldiers with loudspeakers called for the militants to surrender, and several did, according to the military. The Israelis also fired tear gas and stun grenades, which make a deafening sound, in an attempt to force out the gunmen.
Around 3 a.m., the gunmen in the mosque began firing on the Israeli soldiers, who shot back, and heavy exchanges ensued, the military said. The Israeli Army called in an armored bulldozer, which tore down one wall of the mosque compound, the military and Palestinian witnesses said.
“The fighting around the mosque is not something we wanted,” said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry. “But international law is clear: when combatants take control of a religious site and begin firing, it becomes a legitimate target. They broke the sanctity of the site.”
Early Friday morning, a Palestinian radio station called for women to march to the mosque to support the gunmen inside. A short time later, women, dressed in flowing black abayas and head scarves, began marching toward the mosque. The television video showed some girls in the group.
As they approached the mosque, shots rang out, but the women continued marching. A moment later, a number of women were hit, and the crowd scattered. Some wailing women turned back, while others kept advancing toward the mosque, climbing over improvised dirt barriers set up by the Israeli forces.
“We heard the call for women to help the fighters, and we decided to go,” said Mona Abu Jasir, 37, who was hit by a bullet in the right leg. “We did not have weapons, and we were walking toward the mosque when I was shot.”
The Israeli military first said its soldiers had shot at individual gunmen among the women, but several hours later, it said they had fired in response to shots fired from men in the crowd.
One marcher, Suhad el-Masri, 28, said she and several of her relatives had been carrying abayas and scarves to give to the men. “We took them so they could disguise themselves as women and escape,” she said. Her sister, Hiba Rajab, 20, was shot in her legs and left arm; her wounds were considered serious.
Some women reached the mosque, and the gunmen managed to slip away, the military and Palestinian witnesses said. It was not clear whether the gunmen escaped with the help of clothes provided by the women.
Soon after the standoff ended, the mosque’s roof collapsed.
Later in the day, about 1,000 women marched outside Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Gaza City, denouncing the Israeli actions and calling for Egypt to intervene.
In violent clashes throughout the day, at least eight more Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank, according to Palestinian medical workers and security officials. Most of the deaths in Gaza were the result of Israeli airstrikes on Friday night against militants in northern Gaza.
Over the past three days, more than 25 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including militants and civilians, as well as one Israeli soldier. No Israelis were injured in the fighting at the mosque.
Also Friday, Palestinian militants fired several more rockets from northern Gaza into southern Israel, but there was no damage and no one was wounded, the military said. So far, the Israeli operation has not reduced the rocket fire, which has continued for the past three days.
In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers arrested Abdel Rahman Zaidan, the Palestinian minister for housing and public works, a member of Hamas, the radical Islamic group that leads the Palestinian government.
In a separate development, Israel’s former prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for 10 months, was transferred Friday to an intensive care unit because of an infection affecting his heart, the Sheba Medical Center said. In a statement, the center described Mr. Sharon’s condition as stable."
