JPost - Reg Req’d
- An IDF operation is underway Thursday morning in Rafah in the south Gaza Strip where soldiers and Border Police are searching for tunnels used to smuggle weapons into the Palestinian controlled areas. IDF forces operating in Rafah spotted a number of armed Palestinian and an IAF helicopter fired a missile towards the group, wounding a number of them. Palestinian reports claim 22 were wounded in the incident.
| "Yeah! Most of 'em wuz baby ducks, too!" |
Two anti-tank rockets were fired and five bombs detonated near the security forces. IDF officials said that since the start of the operation last Wednesday night, security forces have been confronted with Palestinian resistance that included anti-tank rockets, bombs and grenades that were thrown at the troops.
- In the southern part of Rafah, the Bedouin Desert Patrol uncovered a six-meter-deep tunnel located in an abandoned barn. IDF has entered the camp often in the past few months in search for tunnels.
- In the West Bank security forces arrested a total of 14 Palestinian fugitives overnight Wednesday.
- During an arrest raid in the [aptly named] village of a-Dik, south-east of the West Bank city of Kalkilia, two fugitives attempted to evade arrest were shot by and wounded in their legs by IDF troops. The two were taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment. IDF officers said the two would later be taken to the Shin Bet for investigation.
- In Jenin an IDF soldier was lightly wounded from gunfire during an operation to arrest a fugitive in the city. The soldier was transferred to hospital.
- In Silwad, north of Ramallah, where two fugitives were arrested, another soldier was lightly wounded when Palestinians opened fire at security forces conducting the raid.
- Other arrests took place in Jaba’a north of Nablus, Nablus, Beit Dajan east of Nablus, Iktaba east of Tulkarm, Mizra A Sharkia north of Ramallah, Ramallah, in Bethlehem and the surrounding environs.
- Shots were fired at soldiers deployed near Kafin east of Jenin.
- During the night security forces demolished the homes of two terrorists in Beit Jalla near Bethlehem and Shuweike north of Tulkarm. In Beit Jalla north of Bethlehem security forces demolished the home of Mahmud Shakker Alan Muala, a member of the Hamas who recruited and dispatched suicide bombers including the terrorist who blew up on bus 20 in Jerusalem in November 2002 killing 12 Israeli civilians and wounding 40. Muala also planned to launch suicide bomb attacks in Judea and Samaria and abduct an Israeli bus and hold the passengers hostage. In Shuewike, security forces demolished the home of Issa Mahmud Ismail Batat, a member of the Islamic Jihad involved in the planning of suicide attacks in Israel. Bata was involved in the bomb attack in Jerusalem’s Jaffa Road in May 2001 in which 29 Israeli civilians were wounded and the attack in Jerusalem’s Rehov Melech David in December 2001 in which five Israelis were wounded.
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