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Israeli troops raid Nablus, impose curfew

Israeli troops raided downtown Nablus early yesterday, imposing a curfew that confined tens of thousands of people to their homes as soldiers combed the city's narrow alleyways in search of wanted Palestinian militants.

Five soldiers were wounded in clashes with Palestinian gunmen, the army said.

The crackdown drew angry condemnations from the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Nablus raid, which Palestinian witnesses said was the largest in several months, was an indication that Israel will not stop fighting militants linked to Abbas' Fatah movement -- even though Israel is supporting Abbas in his struggle against Hamas, the Islamic group that seized control of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.

The Nablus operation began late on Wednesday as two fiercely resisted incursions into Hamas-controlled Gaza were ending.

In those operations, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians -- including a 12-year-old boy -- in the bloodiest fighting since the Hamas takeover. The dead also included eight gunmen.

COMBING THE CASBAH

In Nablus, five Israeli soldiers were wounded by bombs set off by Fatah militants overnight in the old, densely populated part of the city known as the casbah, where troops combed alleyways and entered houses searching for gunmen and weapons. One Fatah man was arrested, the army said.

In what has become a routine procedure, the army interrupted broadcasts on the city's radio and TV stations and Nablus residents heard instead warnings in Arabic not to leave their homes.

Yesterday morning, the streets were empty except for armored military jeeps.

Abbas announced earlier this week that he would disarm all militants in the West Bank, even Fatah gunmen who nominally owe him allegiance -- the same ones battling the Israelis in Nablus.

But it was unclear how the weakened Abbas would enforce the order. In one possible indication of its likely fate, a Fatah militant in the West Bank town of Jenin said that while he supported Abbas' decree, his men would not lay down their arms because they were needed to fight Israel.

GAZA INCURSION

The spike in violence on Wednes-day came after two detachments of troops pushed into Gaza and scoured areas near the Gaza-Israel border for gunmen, weapons and tunnels that could be used to attack Israeli positions, detaining several dozen Palestinians for questioning, the army said.

In addition to the 11 dead, Palestinian hospital officials said 47 people were wounded.

The army said the operation was no larger in scope than other sweeps in recent months, crediting the high number of Palestinian fatalities to stiff resistance from militants.

Hamas, now the sole ruler in Gaza, has reduced its attacks on Israel, concentrating instead on consolidating its rule in the chaotic territory. The Hamas government appealed this week for a halt to attacks on the crossings, calling them Gaza's "lifeline."

Kevin Kennedy, the UN humanitarian coordinator, said an attack on Wednesday blocked a planned shipment of 5,000 tonnes of flour into Gaza. He said Gaza has enough flour for only nine days and also faces shortages of sugar, milk and meat.
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