12 Palestinians Martyred by "Israeli" Raids in West Bank and Gaza
Source: Al-Manar TV, 18-12-2007
An "Israeli" occupation air strike in southern Gaza martyred a Hamas resistance fighter on Tuesday, taking to 12 the number of Palestinian fighters killed in a wave of operations in less than a day, medics said.
Among the killed in the raids was Majed al-Harazin, the chief of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, medics and the group said. A member of Hamas's Executive Force, the paramilitary that has acted as police since the Islamic movement seized power in Gaza in mid-June, was killed in the air raid near the southern town of Rafah, medics said. The "Israeli" army confirmed the strike that it said targeted a Hamas position after mortars were launched into the occupied territories from the area.
Earlier, a series of "Israeli" occupation military raids in the Palestinian territories martyred 10 Islamic Jihad resistance fighters overnight Monday and early Tuesday.
Three "Israeli" air raids on the Gaza Strip martyred nine resistance fighters from the resistance group while in the occupied West Bank one fighter died in a commando operation, medics, security officials and Islamic Jihad said.
The first strike in Gaza City late on Monday martyred Majed al-Harazin, the commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing, and his assistant. A spokeswoman of the "Israeli" occupation regime confirmed that Harazin, suspected of "supervising commandos responsible for firing rockets" at "Israeli" targets, was the target of the raid. Six passers-by, three of them children, were also injured.
Islamic Jihad supporters gathered around the morgue and pledged revenge. The group's armed wing said in a statement: "The assassination of the general commander will open the door wide to a wave of martyrdom operations. The blood of our comrades will be the fuel for the rockets that will bring death and destruction to the Zionists,'' Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza told The Associated Press.
And in an e-mail sent to reporters, the group said it would retaliate for its losses with attacks inside the occupied territories, threatening "a wave of martyrdom operations."
A second air strike in Gaza martyred four resistance fighters, with three dying instantly and the fourth hours later from wounds in hospital. The "Israeli" spokeswoman said the Islamic Jihad men were preparing to fire rockets into southern occupied territories. A third air strike martyred three fighters in a car near the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
In the occupied West Bank, 25-year-old Tarek Abu Ghali, a local commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, was martyred by "Israeli" commandos as he drove in a car in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.
The "Israeli" occupation deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai hailed the "successes", saying the army was targeting the leadership of the group which has claimed responsibility for firing most of the rockets launched from Gaza over the past two years. Calls have grown in the Zionist entity over the past several months for the military to launch a wide scale ground offensive in Gaza to put an end to the daily firing of rockets and mortars from the territory. Most of the projectiles fall without causing casualties, but their psychological impact has left settlers living around the occupied coastal strip in a perpetual state of shock. Last week the "Israeli" occupation security cabinet ruled out for the moment launching a large ground operation. Previous wide-scale offensives have failed to halt the rocket fire.
The air strikes Monday night came as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was gaining support at a donors' conference in Paris for his Western-backed Palestinian Authority. They pledged $7.4 billion (5.1 billion euros) over the next three years, far more than Abbas who controls the West Bank expected.
An "Israeli" occupation air strike in southern Gaza martyred a Hamas resistance fighter on Tuesday, taking to 12 the number of Palestinian fighters killed in a wave of operations in less than a day, medics said.
Among the killed in the raids was Majed al-Harazin, the chief of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, medics and the group said. A member of Hamas's Executive Force, the paramilitary that has acted as police since the Islamic movement seized power in Gaza in mid-June, was killed in the air raid near the southern town of Rafah, medics said. The "Israeli" army confirmed the strike that it said targeted a Hamas position after mortars were launched into the occupied territories from the area.
Earlier, a series of "Israeli" occupation military raids in the Palestinian territories martyred 10 Islamic Jihad resistance fighters overnight Monday and early Tuesday.
Three "Israeli" air raids on the Gaza Strip martyred nine resistance fighters from the resistance group while in the occupied West Bank one fighter died in a commando operation, medics, security officials and Islamic Jihad said.
The first strike in Gaza City late on Monday martyred Majed al-Harazin, the commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing, and his assistant. A spokeswoman of the "Israeli" occupation regime confirmed that Harazin, suspected of "supervising commandos responsible for firing rockets" at "Israeli" targets, was the target of the raid. Six passers-by, three of them children, were also injured.
Islamic Jihad supporters gathered around the morgue and pledged revenge. The group's armed wing said in a statement: "The assassination of the general commander will open the door wide to a wave of martyrdom operations. The blood of our comrades will be the fuel for the rockets that will bring death and destruction to the Zionists,'' Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza told The Associated Press.
And in an e-mail sent to reporters, the group said it would retaliate for its losses with attacks inside the occupied territories, threatening "a wave of martyrdom operations."
A second air strike in Gaza martyred four resistance fighters, with three dying instantly and the fourth hours later from wounds in hospital. The "Israeli" spokeswoman said the Islamic Jihad men were preparing to fire rockets into southern occupied territories. A third air strike martyred three fighters in a car near the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
In the occupied West Bank, 25-year-old Tarek Abu Ghali, a local commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, was martyred by "Israeli" commandos as he drove in a car in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.
The "Israeli" occupation deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai hailed the "successes", saying the army was targeting the leadership of the group which has claimed responsibility for firing most of the rockets launched from Gaza over the past two years. Calls have grown in the Zionist entity over the past several months for the military to launch a wide scale ground offensive in Gaza to put an end to the daily firing of rockets and mortars from the territory. Most of the projectiles fall without causing casualties, but their psychological impact has left settlers living around the occupied coastal strip in a perpetual state of shock. Last week the "Israeli" occupation security cabinet ruled out for the moment launching a large ground operation. Previous wide-scale offensives have failed to halt the rocket fire.
The air strikes Monday night came as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was gaining support at a donors' conference in Paris for his Western-backed Palestinian Authority. They pledged $7.4 billion (5.1 billion euros) over the next three years, far more than Abbas who controls the West Bank expected.
