Saturday, December 02, 2006

Arms smuggling continues in Gaza

From THE JERUSALEM POST, Dec. 1, 2006...

IDF officials claim that despite the supposed cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, weapons smuggling was cotinuing in the Rafah and Philadelphi Corridor areas, Army Radio reported on Friday.

Nevertheless, the Security Cabinet will convene on Sunday to discuss extending the Gaza Strip cease-fire to the West Bank. Security officials are expected to present their findings about the continued weapons smuggling and for the continuation of IDF operations in the West Bank.

A senior security official told Israel Radio that if the IDF ceased its arrest operations, the Palestinian organizations would reestablish the terror cells in short order and would perpetrate terror attacks on Israeli targets. The official's remarks came after two Kassam rockets were fired early Friday morning at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip.

...Meanwhile, violent clashes continued Thursday evening and overnight between IDF forces and Palestinians. An IDF soldier was lightly wounded and an armed Palestinian killed overnight Thursday near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. An armed Palestinian threw a Molotov cocktail at soldiers on duty near the cave, wounding one, and continued to approach the troops after he was ordered to stop. The soldiers opened fire and killed him. A Magen David Adom ambulance evacuated the wounded soldier to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

Overnight, IDF soldiers arrested 29 Palestinian fugitives throughout the West Bank. All the suspects were detained for interrogation. In addition, soldiers patrolling along the Egyptian border arrested three unarmed infiltrators south of Mount Sagi. The three were taken in for questioning.

On Thursday night, a Palestinian youth was killed and two others wounded by IDF fire in the West Bank village of Kfar Bita, near Nablus, Palestinian sources reported. The youth who was killed was identified as Shadi Nayif, 15, who had been throwing rocks at the troops. According to the report, the IDF was still operating in the village.

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