Gaza: "Israeli" Troops Violate Truce, Kill 6 Palestinians

Source: Al-Manar TV, 05-11-2008
At a time World was busy monitoring the US elections, ‘Israeli' occupation army troops were committing a crime against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In a clear violation for the Gaza truce, occupation forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night in a bid to collapse a tunnel located 250 meters (273 yards) from the border - and which they claim resistance groups "intended to use for capturing ‘Israeli' soldiers."

Palestinian residents in the area of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip reported seeing ‘Israeli' occupation soldiers about 300 meters inside Gaza. They also reported hearing shots fired from ‘Israeli' military vehicles positioned on the ‘Israeli' side of the border fence and the buzz of unmanned drones overhead.

Palestinian sources have reported that six resistance fighters were martyred in the clashes that ensued during the operation. Palestinians reported a female bystander also sustained injuries.

Four occupation soldiers were injured after a mortar shell was fired at the occupation force during the raid.

The ‘Israeli' occupation Air Force launched two separate strikes on cells launching mortar shells, killing four Palestinians near the towns of Dir el Balah and El Bureij. Another Palestinian resistance fighter was martyred and three other fighters were wounded in a shootout with an ‘Israeli' army unit in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday, Palestinian emergency services said, adding that he was a member of the Islamic resistance of Hamas movement.

The occupation force arrived at a structure near the al-Bureij refugee camp which the tunnel had been dug in adjacent to. Palestinian resistance fighters alerted to the occupation soldiers' presence arrived at the scene and a fierce gunbattle ensued.

Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades' spokesman, Abu Obeid, said Tuesday that Hamas "will fight off any Israeli operation," adding the organization will retaliate on the operation.

"Our response will be harsh, and the enemy will play a heavy price," Hamas said in a statement on its military wing's Web site.

An Egypt-brokered cease-fire agreement between ‘Israel' and the Gaza Strip was signed earlier this year, and went into effect on June 19.

Hours after to the ‘Israeli' crime, more than 40 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into the occupied territories, an ‘Israeli' occupation army spokeswoman said Wednesday. She did not say whether there were any casualties.