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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel arrests 91 suspected militants |
| 2005-09-27 |
| JERUSALEM (CNN) -- As Israel's defense minister promised to keep up the pressure on Palestinian militants, Israeli troops arrested 91 suspected militants in raids across the West Bank overnight, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said Tuesday. According to the IDF, all of those arrested were "wanted Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists." The raids took place in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Bethlehem and Nablus. The IDF called the raids the "continuation of activities against the terrorist infrastructure, following attacks on Israeli citizens from Gaza." Over the last four days, Israeli forces have arrested 388 "wanted Palestinians" in response to dozens of Qassam rockets being fired into Israel. Separately, the Israeli military launched an airstrike early Tuesday on three access routes in northern Gaza, which IDF said was being used by Palestinian militants to launch missiles against targets in Israel. According to the IDF, the strike was designed to prevent Palestinians from reaching an area east of the town of Beit Hanoun used as a launch site. Palestinian sources said three missiles struck near bridges in Beit Hanoun and that no one was injured. They also said two missiles were fired at a Fatah office in Khan Younis, but no one was injured. The IDF said one missile targeted a building used by Fatah in Khan Younis and a second hit a building used by Hamas militants as a money changing office. The rounding up of suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank and airstrikes into Gaza by the Israeli military continue two days after Hamas' leader in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar, told reporters his militant group would stop attacks against Israelis. It is an announcement that has failed to impress Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. "I am not satisfied with Mahmoud al-Zahar's declaration," he told Israeli Army Radio. "Hamas did unforgivable acts and we need to dictate new rules of the game." Hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants have escalated since an explosion at a Hamas rally on Friday in Gaza that killed at least 19 people. Militants blamed the blast on Israel, which denied the claim. On Friday and Saturday, Palestinian militants fired at least three dozen Qassam rockets into the country, wounding at least five civilians, Israelis said. "Hamas fired at Israeli sovereign territory after the disengagement, they killed innocent Palestinians at a rally and blamed Israel for it and to strengthen their lie they fired Qassam rockets on Sderot," Mofaz charged. "We will not let it pass quietly." Israel's actions Tuesday came after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won an internal party procedural vote. The vote Monday was seen by many political observers as a referendum on Sharon's leadership and his decision to pull settlers and troops out of Gaza. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 hell yeah maybe this is the final battle with these idiots |
| Posted by: Uninetle Hupating2229 2005-09-27 11:39 |