- GAZA (UPI) -- Six Palestinians were killed and
five were wounded as violence between Israelis and Palestinians flared
in several towns in the Palestinian territories and on the Israeli side
of the Egyptian border, witnesses, medical and security sources reported
Sunday.
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- Palestinian medical sources said that two Palestinians,
a 4-year-old child and a 26-year-old man, were killed during a predawn
operation by the Israeli army into the town of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip.
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- Israel said the operation in Rafah was aimed at destroying
tunnels on the borders between Rafah and Egypt, which Israeli authorities
said Palestinian militants use to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Gaza
Strip.
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- A reporter covering the operation said the combined force
of infantry, armor and engineers rolled into a northern area of Rafah refugee
camp just before midnight. An advance unit entered several building and
moved occupants to safe areas.
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- "Bulldozers then went about tearing up the ground
in areas which officers said intelligence had indicated the presence of
armed smuggle tunnels from Egypt," the reporter said. "No Palestinians
were visible; the area was a ghost town." There was no resistence,
he said, except for a grenade attack on one armored vehicle.
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- The army said it discovered a tunnel linking two buildings
to Egypt. The access point in one building was covered by a child's crib.
In the other building the tunnel entrance was located in a kitchen.
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- "The two buildings were destroyed with 150 kilos
(630 lbs) of explosives," said an Israeli commander, identified only
as Maj. Gal.
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- Eight people were detained, including one thought to
be a "tunnel contractor."
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- Palestinian security sources said that at least 15 tanks,
bulldozers and army personnel carriers stormed the neighborhood of Tal
Zo'rob.
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- Israeli paratroops occupied the roofs of several buildings
and tanks drove into the towns, said the sources, adding that the operation
lasted for about six hours. Witnesses said that the Israeli army destroyed
five Palestinian-owned houses in the neighborhood, three of them with bulldozers,
after forcing the residents to evacuate. Two houses were seen blown up
with explosives.
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- An Israeli Defense Forces spokesman said two buildings,
two abandoned structures and part of a greenhouse were destroyed. Several
hand grenades were thrown at troops, who returned fire and "hit several
armed people."
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- Residents said people in one of the houses refused to
leave when ordered by teh army to do so. The army destroyed the house.
A 4-year-old boy was killed in the incident, while five members of the
family were injured, three of them seriously, residents said.
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- In another incident, two Palestinian militants were killed
early Sunday by Israeli troops when they infiltrated from Egypt and were
making their way toward the village of Yevul, reports said. The Israelis
said three soldiers were wounded in the brief clash with the infiltrators.
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- Earlier Saturday, Palestinian sources reported that a
21-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead by Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
They said that the man, Arafat Qdeykh, was working on his land east of
Khan Younis when he was shot by soldiers.
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