Israeli troops pushed deeper into the Rafah refugee camp yesterday, undeterred by the international outcry after at least eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli tank fire as they demonstrated against the military operation.
Five Palestinians were killed early yesterday, bringing the death toll for the Rafah operation to 37.
Many of the casualties in Wednesday's attack were children. Adding to world anger were the sight of bloodied children and reports of overwhelmed doctors treating dozens of wounded on blood-drenched hospital floors.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel apologized for the deaths, saying its troops did not deliberately fire on marchers, but blamed the Palestinians, claiming gunmen mixed with the crowd.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning the loss of life and Israel's demolition of homes. The US abstained, the first time in nearly two years that it didn't exercise its veto on a resolution sharply critical of Israel.
Brigadier General Ruth Yaron, the army's chief spokeswoman, said yesterday that the offensive -- the largest in Gaza in years -- will continue until troops obliterate weapons-smuggling tunnels and round up militants.
Early yesterday, an Israeli missile strike killed three in the Rafah camp. The army said gunmen were approaching Israeli forces. Hours later, troops fired a tank shell and killed two near the border, Palestinian doctors said.
Since Israel launched its operation early on Tuesday, 37 Palestinians have been killed. Dozens have been wounded, and refugees have been dealing with power outages and lack of water.
Israel raided the refugee camp less than a week after Palestinian militants killed 13 soldiers in Gaza.
By yesterday morning, the army had taken control of four neighborhoods in the camp, home to nearly 60,000 people..
Palestinian men in the Rafah neighborhood of Tel Sultan gathered on the main street to be questioned by Israeli soldiers. Minutes later, the army fired a tank shell at the demonstration headed in the direction of Tel Sultan.
Ghada Abu Jazar, 33, said her husband had left their home in Tel Sultan for Israeli questioning and not returned. "Since then, I know nothing about him," she said. "Words can't describe what we went through last night: Shooting, explosions, complete darkness and the screams of children."
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a senior aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, welcomed the US abstention and called on the US government to "force Israel to accept international forces here to protect the Palestinian people."
Israel appeared unconcerned about the US vote. Raanan Gissin, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, attributed the abstention to the "delicate situation in which the United States finds itself."
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz insisted the operation "is necessary and essential for the security of Israel ... and will continue as long as necessary."
A preliminary army investigation concluded that a warning shot fired by a tank meant to disperse Wednesday's protest had flown through a building and hit the crowd, security sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the deaths a "massacre that stands against all humane, civilized and political principles."
Dr. Ali Moussa, director of the Rafah hospital, said yesterday that eight people were confirmed dead, including six people under 18. He said 55 were wounded, several in serious condition.
The fighting has revived debate inside Israel on its continued presence in Gaza. Sharon has proposed withdrawing from the volatile area, but his Likud Party rejected the proposal.
The US said Wednesday's deaths "serve as a grim reminder of the wisdom" of Israel pulling out of Gaza.
END OF AN ERA: The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an indigenous coca farmer, was elected president A center-right senator and a right-wing former president are to advance to a run-off for Bolivia’s presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Bolivian Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise front-runner, with 32.15 percent of the vote cast in an election dominated by a deep economic crisis, results published by the electoral commission showed. He was followed by former Bolivian president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent, according to results based on 92 percent of votes cast. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
RSS