Israel's top general threatened yesterday to destroy hundreds of Palestinian refugee homes after the Supreme Court cleared the way for demolitions in a flashpoint Israeli-held corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US opposed the destruction of homes in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the "Philadelphi" buffer zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
"Hundreds of houses have been marked for destruction," a senior official quoted Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon as telling the Cabinet at its weekly meeting, without giving any timeframe for their demolition.
Refusing to extend a stay sought by a Palestinian rights group, the court appeared to set broad terms for bulldozing homes in the Philadelphi zone, saying the army could destroy houses for operational purposes or to protect soldiers.
Seven of last week's 13 Israeli dead in Gaza were killed in or near the buffer area, which Israeli officials said would be widened to make it safer to patrol and less accessible to militants who smuggle weapons in by tunnel from Egypt.
Dozens of Palestinians started to evacuate their homes in the Rafah camp after learning of the court decision.
"I don't know what to take. I will start with clothes or the refrigerator or the television," said Abed al-Majid Abu Shamala, 52, preparing to flee a dwelling.
Yaalon told the Cabinet that houses picked for demolition were believed to be concealing tunnels or to have been used by gunmen attacking soldiers.
UN relief officials estimated that Israeli armored bulldozers levelled more than 80 buildings in Rafah in the past days, leaving about 1,100 Palestinians homeless. The army said it demolished structures that provided cover for armed men.
"We are extremely alarmed that even more demolitions are planned," Peter Hansen, chief of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said, accusing Israel of violating international law.
At a news conference in Jordan, Powell said Washington recognized an Israeli right to self-defense "but the kind of action they are taking in Rafah with the destruction of Palestinian homes we oppose."
Powell also rebuked President Yasser Arafat for urging Palestinians, in a speech on Saturday, to "terrorize the enemy."
Arafat said in the West Bank that demolitions carried out so far in Rafah were another example of Israel's "sinful aggression against our people and our land."
In addition to the 13 Israeli dead in Gaza this week, 29 Palestinians, militants and bystanders, were killed during fierce fighting.
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