Source: The News, 04-06-2008
GAZA CITY/OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: An 'Israeli' soldier was wounded on Tuesday when troops clashed with Palestinian activists in the southern Gaza Strip, an 'Israeli' army spokesman said.
Palestinian witnesses said several tanks and bulldozers rolled into southern Gaza east of the town of Khan Yunis and exchanged fire with Palestinian freedom fighters.
The armed wing of the Islamist Hamas movement which has ruled Gaza for nearly a year said its fighters had fired on the troops and that the "Zionist enemy recognises that one of its soldiers was wounded."
'Israel' carries out near-daily military raids and air strikes in the impoverished coastal territory aimed at halting Palestinian rocket fire on southern 'Israeli' towns and farms.
Meanwhile, 'Israeli' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert himself approved the construction of nearly 900 new houses in occupied east Al-Quds, the country's housing minister said on Tuesday.
The building projects announced two days ago have enraged the Palestinians who want east Al-Quds as their capital and called the expansion of Jewish (Zionist) settlements the greatest obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.
"The prime minister was informed and he gave his authorisation for the construction of the houses," Housing Minister Zeev Boim told public radio.
The decision goes against repeated calls from Washington for 'Israel' to halt settlement projects as part of US-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians and comes as Olmert was due in Washington on an official visit.
'Israel' insists it has the right to build in both areas because it expects to be given the land in any future peace deal.
The Palestinian population of east Al-Quds currently stands at nearly 260,000 according to the Palestinian Authority, with the settler population at nearly 200,000, according to the 'Israeli' settlement watchdog Peace Now.