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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Militants Killed as Violence Surges on Gaza Border |
| 2010-12-27 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] Israeli tanks fired a barrage of shells into the Gazoo Strip on Sunday following a firefight in which two gunnies were killed, as Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, said it was "ready" for another war. The escalation of violence comes just ahead of the two year anniversary of Israel's devastating invasion of the Hamas-controlled Gazoo Strip, and follows weeks of rocket fire from Gazoo and a string of retaliatory Israeli air raids. In the latest incident, two Islamic Jihad gunnies were killed during an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers on the border of the Gazoo Strip early Sunday, according to witnesses and the Al-Quds brigade, a turban Islamist group. Israeli officials confirmed the clash, which took place east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gazoo. "Soldiers opened fire on members of a terrorist cell which was trying to place an explosive charge in the immediate vicinity of the security barrier," an Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP. The barrier separates Israel from the Gazoo Strip. "The incident happened in the south of the Gazoo Strip and helicopters backed up the fire of the soldiers," she added. After a similar incident a month earlier, in which there were no casualties, "soldiers received instructions not to hesitate to open fire when they saw Islamic fascisti placing booby-trap devices near the barrier," she said. Hours after the firefight, Israeli tanks fired at least 10 shells towards Khan Yunis, an AFP photographer said. Three homes were damaged by the shells though no new casualties were reported. Tension has been rising on the Gazoo border, where armed Islamist groups have fired dozens of mortars and rockets into southern Israel. In response, Israel has launched a series of air raids, including most recently early Saturday, that it said targeted training facilities and smuggling tunnels. It has also launched targeted liquidations of several top members of the Army of Islam, a jihadist group accused by Israel of planning new attacks. Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the Hamas turban group that controls the Gazoo Strip has said it plans to continue observing a truce with Israel, but also warned it was ready to resume fighting if there is an Israeli attack on the territory. "There is a truce in effect in the field. It is real if Israel stops its aggression and ends its siege. But if there is any Israeli aggression on the Gazoo Strip we will respond strongly," said a masked front man for Hamas' armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, who identified himself as Abu Obeideh. "We are completely ready to answer any Israeli aggression," he said, speaking at a presser Saturday in Gazoo City with three guards, who were all masked and armed. Abu Obeideh also hinted that the group possessed a secret weapon. "Our weapons are few compared to those of the Israeli occupation, but we have something that will worry the occupation," he said without giving details. Israel's military said this week that one of its tanks patrolling the Gazoo border had been hit by a Russian-made Kornet anti-tank rocket, the first time such a weapon had been encountered there. At least 23 mortars and four rockets have been launched at Israel from Gazoo in the past week, the army said, including a Qassam rocket that struck near a kindergarten in a southern Israeli kibbutz, wounding a teenage girl. While most of the rockets fired have been by other groups, Israel says it holds Hamas, which rules Gazoo, responsible for maintaining calm there. On December 27, 2008, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead, in response to hundreds of rockets fired into the Jewish state. The war, which ended in a ceasefire on January 18, 2009, killed 1,400 Paleostinians, mostly civilians, and 13 Israelis, 10 of them soldiers. |
| Posted by:Fred |