Guardian
'Long-term operation' begins after Hamas rocket attacks
Chris McGreal in Jabaliya, Gaza
Friday October 1, 2004
The Guardian
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians yesterday on one of the bloodiest days of the intifada, as the army made a rare push into the heart of a heavily defended Gaza refugee camp.
A single tank shell claimed seven lives, many of them said by witnesses to be unarmed teenagers. But doctors said it was difficult to tell because the bodies were blown apart.
More than 100 people were wounded, including children, as Palestinian insurgents put up prolonged resistance to the attack on Jabaliya, a Hamas and Islamic Jihad stronghold.
Israel's defence minister, Shaul Mofaz, said he intended to widen the army's assault beyond the camp, just north of Gaza City, after Wednesday's Hamas rocket attack that killed two children, aged two and four, in the Israeli town of Sderot.
Ariel Sharon's security cabinet was expected to meet last night to approve a "large-scale and prolonged operation" that would include extended reoccupation of parts of the Gaza Strip. Similar military campaigns in the recent past have failed to curb the firing of rockets.
Last night another of the crudely produced rockets known as Qassams, made by Hamas, hit an industrial area of Sderot without causing injury.
Three Israelis were killed yesterday: two soldiers, and a settler who was out jogging when she was shot by a Palestinian sniper.
The army faced considerable resistance from Palestinians firing rockets and automatic weapons as it moved into the centre of Jabaliya for the first time in the four years of intifada, seizing control of a UN school and a high building to post snipers. Most of the dead appeared to be Palestinian fighters, although they also included a 60 year-old man.
The shell that killed seven people was fired by a tank next to the school. The army said the tank was responding to a rocket attack. The wounded included 10-year-old Ahmed Salem, who was hit in the leg by shrapnel.
"There was a man next to me who had no head," he said.
Amid chaotic scenes at the Kamal Adwan hospital, its director, Mahmoud Asali, said more than 100 people were wounded in yesterday's fighting, with many in a critical condition.
"There are some without legs, some without arms, some without eyes. More will die," said Dr Asali.
While Israeli troops seized control of key buildings in the camp of about 100,000 people, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters continued to move around with relative ease, carrying rocket propelled grenades and shoulder-launched missiles.
"If they think they can conquer Jabaliya they are fools," said a masked Hamas fighter who gave his name only as Hassan. "This will be their grave. They know that. Look at them hiding in the buildings.
"Are we terrorists for resisting when they come and de stroy our homes and kill us? They say it is to stop the Qassams. How many rockets have they fired at our homes?"
It was unclear what the army hoped to achieve by moving into Jabaliya. It is unlikely to be able to prevent more rocket attacks against Sderot. The limited effectiveness of such operations was demonstrated by the army's occupation of another northern Gaza town, Beit Hanoun, for five weeks in July and August, ostensibly to stop rocket attacks. Soldiers killed 20 people, destroyed 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of orange groves and other agricultural land, and demolished 68 homes; but the rockets kept flying.
Leaflets were yesterday dropped over northern Gaza by Israeli helicopters, warning Palestinians that "terrorism pushes you further into a life of misery and poverty".
Palestinians took that to mean that they were all being punished for the rocket attacks, because Mr Sharon feared such attacks could cause an Israeli backlash against his plan to pull all Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza's former security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, who is backed by Britain to play a leading role in the territory after the Israeli withdrawal, said the raid on Jabaliya would "result in a bloodbath on both sides, because the Palestinian people cannot remain silent in the face of this aggression".
The escalation in Gaza comes in part because Hamas has been able to pack more explosives into its rudimentary Qassams. For nearly four years, the rockets killed no one, but in recent months they have claimed the lives of three children in Sderot and one other Israeli.
There is also a determination by both sides to shape interpretations of the Israeli pull out. Hamas is already claiming it as a victory for the insurgency, and wants to bolster its claim that the Israelis are withdrawing under fire. That is the perception that Mr Sharon is determined to avoid as he tries to project the withdrawal as a bold step towards peace.
'Long-term operation' begins after Hamas rocket attacks
Chris McGreal in Jabaliya, Gaza
Friday October 1, 2004
The Guardian
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians yesterday on one of the bloodiest days of the intifada, as the army made a rare push into the heart of a heavily defended Gaza refugee camp.
A single tank shell claimed seven lives, many of them said by witnesses to be unarmed teenagers. But doctors said it was difficult to tell because the bodies were blown apart.
More than 100 people were wounded, including children, as Palestinian insurgents put up prolonged resistance to the attack on Jabaliya, a Hamas and Islamic Jihad stronghold.
Israel's defence minister, Shaul Mofaz, said he intended to widen the army's assault beyond the camp, just north of Gaza City, after Wednesday's Hamas rocket attack that killed two children, aged two and four, in the Israeli town of Sderot.
Ariel Sharon's security cabinet was expected to meet last night to approve a "large-scale and prolonged operation" that would include extended reoccupation of parts of the Gaza Strip. Similar military campaigns in the recent past have failed to curb the firing of rockets.
Last night another of the crudely produced rockets known as Qassams, made by Hamas, hit an industrial area of Sderot without causing injury.
Three Israelis were killed yesterday: two soldiers, and a settler who was out jogging when she was shot by a Palestinian sniper.
The army faced considerable resistance from Palestinians firing rockets and automatic weapons as it moved into the centre of Jabaliya for the first time in the four years of intifada, seizing control of a UN school and a high building to post snipers. Most of the dead appeared to be Palestinian fighters, although they also included a 60 year-old man.
The shell that killed seven people was fired by a tank next to the school. The army said the tank was responding to a rocket attack. The wounded included 10-year-old Ahmed Salem, who was hit in the leg by shrapnel.
"There was a man next to me who had no head," he said.
Amid chaotic scenes at the Kamal Adwan hospital, its director, Mahmoud Asali, said more than 100 people were wounded in yesterday's fighting, with many in a critical condition.
"There are some without legs, some without arms, some without eyes. More will die," said Dr Asali.
While Israeli troops seized control of key buildings in the camp of about 100,000 people, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters continued to move around with relative ease, carrying rocket propelled grenades and shoulder-launched missiles.
"If they think they can conquer Jabaliya they are fools," said a masked Hamas fighter who gave his name only as Hassan. "This will be their grave. They know that. Look at them hiding in the buildings.
"Are we terrorists for resisting when they come and de stroy our homes and kill us? They say it is to stop the Qassams. How many rockets have they fired at our homes?"
It was unclear what the army hoped to achieve by moving into Jabaliya. It is unlikely to be able to prevent more rocket attacks against Sderot. The limited effectiveness of such operations was demonstrated by the army's occupation of another northern Gaza town, Beit Hanoun, for five weeks in July and August, ostensibly to stop rocket attacks. Soldiers killed 20 people, destroyed 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of orange groves and other agricultural land, and demolished 68 homes; but the rockets kept flying.
Leaflets were yesterday dropped over northern Gaza by Israeli helicopters, warning Palestinians that "terrorism pushes you further into a life of misery and poverty".
Palestinians took that to mean that they were all being punished for the rocket attacks, because Mr Sharon feared such attacks could cause an Israeli backlash against his plan to pull all Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza's former security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, who is backed by Britain to play a leading role in the territory after the Israeli withdrawal, said the raid on Jabaliya would "result in a bloodbath on both sides, because the Palestinian people cannot remain silent in the face of this aggression".
The escalation in Gaza comes in part because Hamas has been able to pack more explosives into its rudimentary Qassams. For nearly four years, the rockets killed no one, but in recent months they have claimed the lives of three children in Sderot and one other Israeli.
There is also a determination by both sides to shape interpretations of the Israeli pull out. Hamas is already claiming it as a victory for the insurgency, and wants to bolster its claim that the Israelis are withdrawing under fire. That is the perception that Mr Sharon is determined to avoid as he tries to project the withdrawal as a bold step towards peace.
미니
can you translate this article to korean?
no chr.!
미니
어떻게라...
음...
잘 해 주시면 좋죠 ^^
음...
음...
한국인이세요?
no chr.!