Israeli offensive fails to halt rocket barrage
Palestinian militants fired a new barrage of makeshift rockets into southern Israel early today, despite the launch of an Israeli offensive meant to halt such attacks.
The salvo, which slightly wounded one man, came a day after a rocket attack killed two Israelis, including a three-year-old boy, in the border town of Sderot.
The pre-dawn Israeli military operation came in response to the Sderot attack. It marked the first time in nearly four years of fighting that the crude homemade Qassam missiles killed Israelis.
Under the cover of intense machine gun fire, Israeli tanks and bulldozers blocked roads in the northern Gaza Strip – the start of what security officials said could be an extended operation in the area.
One Palestinian militant was killed and five were wounded, Palestinian security officials said.
Despite the upsurge in violence, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today that he remains determined to withdraw from Gaza in 2005. Sharon pledged to speed up the evacuation of Israeli settlers who are ready to leave voluntarily.
The Israeli operation today was focused around the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.
By midmorning, the army had sealed all entrances to the town. A bulldozer moved sandpiles near one of the exits, and an Apache helicopter hovered overhead.
Witnesses said the army fired warning shots at a group of youths who threw stones at a bulldozer. No injuries were reported.
Security officials said troops would probably stay in northern Gaza for an extended period, to prevent rocket fire.
Despite the crackdown, militants managed to fire three more Qassam rockets into southern Israel.
One rocket fell in the community of Shaar Hanegev, injuring one person at a packing plant. Another fell in Sderot’s vegetable market, he said. The third rocket fell in a field, Army Radio reported.
Israeli army helicopters fired heavy machine gun fire in the Gaza Strip area adjacent to Shaar Hanegev in response to Tuesday’s barrage.
| Related Stories: |
|
