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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59474-2002Oct8.html Sharon Praises Israeli Gaza Strike By Ibrahim Barzak Associated Press Writer Tuesday, October 8, 2002; 11:21 AM GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip �� Undeterred by U.S. criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday praised a deadly Israeli military strike in the Gaza Strip as a success and said there would be more such operations. Israel said Monday's raid in Gaza, which left 14 Palestinians dead and more than 100 wounded in the town of Khan Younis, was meant to put members of the Islamic militant group Hamas on notice that they could no longer feel safe in the crowded neighborhoods of Gaza. The Palestinians said all the dead and nearly all the wounded were civilians, while Sharon and the Israeli military said most of the dead were armed men killed in battle. The U.S. State Department, while reaffirming Israel's right to self defense, said it was "deeply troubled" by raids on Palestinian areas that killed civilians. The operation was also criticized by Russia, the United Nations and the European Union � which along with the United States, make up the quartet of Mideast mediators. Sharon expressed sorrow at the civilian deaths, but brushed off the international condemnation. "There is a need to be certain that terrorist organizations will not have the freedom to carry out intentional murder," Sharon said after a meeting with Israeli President Moshe Katsav. "The operation was a successful operation," Sharon added. "This operation was complicated, it was a difficult operation ... There will be more operations in Gaza." The Israeli commander of Monday's raid, Brig. Gen. Israel Ziv, acknowledged that none of those killed were wanted by Israel. He said the main objective was to shake up the group which has carried out dozens of bombing attacks in Israel. "Hamas is under a lot of stress lately because of our operations," Ziv said. "The main goal (of the Khan Younis operation) was to ... interfere with their self-confidence." Both Hamas and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction have threatened to avenge those killed Monday. "Everyone should know that as our people were not safe in Khan Younis, so Israelis will not be safe in Tel Aviv," said Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader. "We will strike everywhere." With Israel threatening more raids, Hamas was also embroiled in a blood feud with the Palestinian police that left five people dead Monday � a Palestinian police colonel and four Hamas supporters. In the funeral for two of the Hamas supporters Tuesday, dozens among the 1,500 mourners hurled stones and bottles at a police station in Gaza City. Officers posted on the roof fired in the air. The colonel, who headed the Palestinian riot police, was kidnapped and shot dead Monday by about 20 Hamas gunmen. The main suspect is Emad Akel, a Hamas activist from the Nusseirat refugee camp, whose brother Raed, was killed a year ago, along with two other students, by Palestinian riot police dispersing protests at a Gaza City campus. Later Monday, a battle erupted between Hamas gunmen and police trying to arrest two suspects in Gaza City. Two Hamas supporters were killed and 10 bystanders wounded in the fighting. Police eventually withdrew and the suspects were whisked away by Hamas gunmen. A few hours later, Emad Akel demonstratively set up a mourning tent for his brother � something the family had sworn it would only do once revenge had been taken. The tent was erected on a main road near the Nusseirat refugee camp. Police arrived to disperse the crowd at the tent, and another gun battle ensued. Two more Hamas supporters were killed and 18 people were wounded, including two who were in critical condition Tuesday. On Tuesday, Akel's mother, Aisheh, confirmed that her son Emad killed the colonel. "If we had not killed him (the officer), the other families (of the other slain students) would have done so," she told The Associated Press. Hamas leaders portrayed the feud as a personal matter of several activists, but the clashes threatened to spiral into a full-blown confrontation between Hamas and the Palestinian security services. Arafat in the past has resisted calls by Israel and the United States to crack down on Hamas militants in order to prevent attacks on Israelis. However, security forces have taken tough measures in the past when they felt their authority was challenged by the militants. In other developments Tuesday, gunmen wounded four people, two of them seriously, in a West Bank shooting attack on an Israeli car. The army initially said one of the four was killed, but later corrected its report. No one immediately claimed responsibility, but Palestinian militants have targeted Jewish settlers on West Bank roads throughout the two years of Mideast fighting. In the West Bank town of Jenin, about 200 school children threw stones at two Israeli tanks enforcing a curfew in the West Bank town of Jenin. Soldiers opened fire, wounding two adults and two teen-agers, including a 17-year-old boy who was in serious condition with a bullet in the chest, doctors said. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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