Israeli Army Razes Houses in Gaza RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen exchanged heavy fire in a refugee camp Friday as army bulldozers tore down nine houses close to a military patrol road where five soldiers were killed earlier this week.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian gunfire Friday, Arab TV stations monitored in Beirut reported. The military confirmed there were casualties, but declined comment on whether soldiers were killed. On the Palestinian side, one man was killed in a missile strike and a second when an explosive device blew up prematurely. Eight Palestinians were wounded, two of them seriously. Residents were trapped in their homes by the heavy fighting. Hisham Mohammed, 35, said he had been stuck on the third floor of his apartment building and the rest of his family on the ground floor. "I am not able to go downstairs because bullets tore a big gap in the wall near the stairs," he said by telephone. Local officials in Rafah said bulldozers tore down nine homes Friday close to the patrol road that runs between Rafah and the Egyptian border. On that patrol road, an armored personnel carrier transporting a ton of explosives was blown up by a homemade rocket Wednesday, killing five soldiers. Israel Radio said the military planned to demolish hundreds of buildings close to the road, to remove firing positions or cover for potential attackers. However, military spokeswoman Maj. Sharon Feingold stressed that the current army operation was focused entirely on retrieving the bodies of the soldiers. Feingold said that during the operation troops had destroyed a number of "uninhabited structures" that were used to give cover to gunmen. A military official said that once the retrieval operation is over, the army could launch a wide scale operation to expand the patrol area. "It is something we are definitely considering ... but that has not yet begun," the official said. On Friday, frantic residents waving white flags removed valuables in cartons and plastic bags. They took away furniture, doors and window frames. Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, the army chief, told Israel Radio the armored personnel carrier was hit by a projectile fired from one of the camp's houses. "There's a process whereby the first row of houses is abandoned and used for digging tunnels for smuggling weapons and cover for shooting," he said. "We've been forced to destroy houses here in the past and apparently we'll have to destroy more houses in the future." Since the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, the Israeli military has razed 1,026 houses in Rafah and damaged 767, according to local officials. The destruction has left more than 10,000 Palestinians homeless. Israel does not confirm those numbers, but says those houses were targeted because they provided cover for gunmen or for weapons smuggling tunnels. In the past three years, Israeli troops have uncovered 80 tunnels running between Egypt and Rafah, the army said. Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat called for American intervention to halt the destruction. "This is a catastrophe. At a time when the Israelis are speaking of disengaging from Gaza this is really re-engaging," he told The Associated Press. "I hope that President Bush (news - web sites), who says he is encouraged by disengagement, will interfere to stop the demolitions." The latest violence � a total of 13 soldiers have died in Gaza this week � has triggered hot debate over Israel's presence in the area, which is home to 7,500 Jewish settlers and 1.3 million Palestinians. While some called for a pullout, others recommended tougher military measures. Also in Gaza Friday troops fired on a car driving near the northern settlement of Netzarim, wounding three Palestinians, medics said. The army had no comment. A poll published Friday in the Yediot Ahronot daily showed a sharp rise in support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s plan for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. Voters in Sharon's Likud Party vetoed the proposal earlier this month, despite wide public backing for the plan. The Yediot survey of 503 people conducted after the latest violence showed 71 percent of respondents in favor of a pullout, up from 62 percent on May 4. Opposition slipped to 24 percent from 32 percent. The margin of error was 4.4 percentage points. The Gaza fighting has claimed the lives of 29 Palestinians since Tuesday and about 250 have been wounded. The military operation in Rafah started Wednesday, after the explosion of the armored personnel carrier. With remains of the five dead scattered over a wide area, troops were still searching for their comrades' body parts on Friday. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. 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