MIDDLE EAST: Leaving behind broken buildings and flattened citrus orchards, Israeli troops yesterday lifted a month-long siege of a northern Gaza town used by Palestinian militants as a launchpad for rocket attacks.
Armoured vehicles trundled out of most of Beit Hanoun one day after they extended their incursion close to a densely populated refugee camp to hunt for elusive squads firing makeshift Qassam rockets into Israel.
Missile attacks have intensified as Palestinian militants try to portray Israel's plan to abandon the Gaza Strip in 2005 as a victory for their nearly four-year-old uprising. Israel wants to smash the groups before any withdrawal.
Unprecedented internal turmoil has added to impoverished Gaza's chaos in recent weeks as rival Palestinian groups vie for power in anticipation of Israel's pullout.
At least 20 Palestinians, eight of them militants, were killed during the siege, which the army began after a rocket killed a child and a man inside Israel in late June. Palestinians condemned the siege as collective punishment.
"This is oppression," said Mr Aref Zaanin, whose home was commandeered by Israeli soldiers. He returned yesterday to find walls punched in, furniture wrecked and human excrement in his basement. "Does a road fire a Qassam? Do the trees? Does a child imprisoned in his bathroom?" he said.
Troops pulled back from most of Beit Hanoun yesterday, but tanks remained camped on farmland on its eastern fringes near Israel. A military surveillance balloon drifted over northern Gaza.
"The operation is not over. We will respond to any threats against Israel from the area," an Israeli military source said.
Hamas Islamic militants, sworn to destroying Israel, declared victory and said Qassam rockets had forced the Israeli army to flee. The group said it was also reviewing its tactics.
Qassam attacks are better at spreading terror than causing casualties, but often result in punishing military raids to ferret out militants.
"The resistance will continue but definitely the forms of resistance will be reviewed," said Hamas spokesman Mr Sami Abu Zuhri.
Militants fired two Qassams at Israel from Gaza yesterday, but they fell in an open field and caused no casualties.
Inside Beit Hanoun Palestinians slowly started venturing outdoors. They cleared earth mounds that the Israelis had used to block roads. One small girl said she was happy as she picked flowers near where an Israeli tank had blocked the road until yesterday.
But the withdrawal did little to cheer Ms Sanaa Abu Odeh, whose father was killed in his field early in the siege. "The children - they are sowing hate in their hearts," she said.
Israeli Defence Minister Mr Shaul Mofaz has indicated that the army may widen its operations in Gaza if it fails to stop militants firing rockets into Israel.
Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza today after a 19-day closure, offering stranded Palestinians a chance to get home after a long wait, said an Egyptian official. - (Reuters)