Last update - 00:00 12/12/2007
6 Palestinians killed during major IDF operation in Gaza
By Haaretz Correspondents and AP , By Yuval Azoulay and Yoav Stern
Six Palestinians, all operatives of terrorist organizations, were killed during two separate operations in the Gaza Strip yesterday, while four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded.
The operations - one of which was described by Palestinians as the second-largest in Gaza since the disengagement in August 2005 - came a day before Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to hold their first working session since last month's Annapolis conference. Palestinian officials complained that the operations threatened to sabotage the fledgling peace talks.
"The Israeli policy of escalation aims to sabotage and place obstacles before the negotiations even before they start," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said.
Hamas urged Abbas to boycott today's talks. "The hand of the enemy is still dripping with the blood of the martyrs," Taher Nunu, a Hamas spokesman, said. "It is a mark of shame to go to the negotiations tomorrow."
In the main operation, IDF troops penetrated about two kilometers into southern Gaza, southeast of Khan Yunis, early yesterday morning, for what the army described as a "routine counterterrorism operation." The troops closed off the main road from northern Gaza to Khan Yunis and Rafah and imposed a curfew over a wide area.
A fierce battle ensued, which lasted for the rest of the day. Palestinians fired antitank missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and rifles at the Israeli troops, who responded with rifles, tank shells and aerial assaults.
Israeli officials said the offensive focused on an area that is a main launching ground for rocket and mortar assaults on army bases and the Sufa crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Although the IDF insisted that yesterday's operation was no different than many others over the past few weeks, there were in fact two key differences. The first was the size of the force that entered Palestinian territory. According to the Palestinians, it included at least 30 tanks and bulldozers, though the IDF put the number at only 10. It also involved soldiers taking up positions on the rooftops of several homes.
The second was its duration: While previous operations have lasted only a few hours, and have been conducted mainly at night, yesterday's lasted all day.
The Palestinian response was also different than it has been in previous operations. An IDF officer serving in the area commented that "the southern sector is full of terrorist nests, and the terrorists have a great deal of weaponry."
During the battle, three Islamic Jihad operatives were killed when a tank shell hit the building where they had taken cover. They were identified as Khalil al-Aswad, 26, Mohammed Abu Hamra, 19, and Mohammed A'asour.
Foreign journalists hit by Israeli shells
As rescuers removed the bodies, two more Israeli shells struck the building, seconds apart, sending people scrambling for cover. The incident was filmed by Associated Press Television News. An AP cameraman and several other journalists at the scene suffered minor injuries and shock.
In addition, two operatives from different Palestinian organizations were killed in an Israel Air Force strike on their car. Palestinians identified one as Omar Khalil, 23, a member of the Popular Resistance Committees; as of press time last night, it was not known whether the second man belonged to that organization or Hamas, and his name had not been released.
According to a senior official in the Palestinian Health Ministry, three other Palestinians were seriously wounded during the fighting and may not live.
The four IDF soldiers were lightly injured when a Palestinian RPG scored a direct hit on a tank. Two of them were evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva for treatment; the others were treated on the spot. The tank, which the army said suffered minor damage, was towed back into Israel.
The IDF also detained some 40 local Palestinians for questioning on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity.
Yesterday's major operation was preceded by a smaller operation that took place before dawn near Beit Hanun, in the northern Gaza Strip. During this operation, soldiers killed one armed Palestinian, also a member of Islamic Jihad, and wounded three others. They also discovered three Qassam rocket launchers.
Asked about yesterday's operation during a tour of a navy base in Haifa, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said: "While we are lighting Hanukkah candles, IDF warriors are operating in the strip every night to enable us to light our candles in peace."