MIDEAST: Violence surged again in the Middle East over the weekend,with three Israeli soldiers killed in a shooting attack in the West Bank last night, seven Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, killed during an Israeli operation in southern Gaza, and homemade rockets fired from the Strip at Israeli towns.
The three soldiers were killed, and a fourth wounded, after gunmen ambushed them when they were on patrol near the village of Ein Yabrud, north of Ramallah. It was not clear if they were travelling in a jeep or on foot when they were attacked.
Troops imposed a curfew on the village, which is adjacent to the Jewish settlement of Ofra, as they searched for the gunmen.
Militants have carried out numerous attacks in the area since the start of the intifada three years ago. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is associated with the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, claimed responsibility. The group said the attack was retaliation for the Israeli army's operation in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza.
While troops remained in the Rafah area yesterday, where they are searching for arms-smuggling tunnels, they pulled out of the nearby Brazil refugee camp. Palestinians reported last night that Shadi Alwan, the 14-year-old boy, was shot dead by the Israeli army in Rafah. His death brings to 15 the number of Palestinians killed since Israeli tanks and troops began an extensive operation in the area on October 10th. At least four of the dead are civilians; the others are militants.
Two of the dead were armed Hamas militants who were shot dead by Israeli troops on Saturday as they were laying explosives against tanks in the Brazil camp, the army said. One of the dead men was identified as Tarik Abu Hussein (39), a prominent local Hamas commander. The group vowed revenge for his death. A woman whom Palestinians said was involved in evacuating casualties in the camp, was also killed on Saturday.
Brazil residents said Israeli tanks had ripped up roads and destroyed water pipes, telephone lines and electricity cables. Israel says the operation is aimed at uncovering tunnels used to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Strip, including attempts to ferret shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles through the underground passages. Israel says it has uncovered four tunnels since the start of the operation, which has left hundreds of Palestinians homeless.
In the West Bank, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead on Saturday by troops in Tul Karm. The army said the boy (14) was throwing a petrol bomb.
Early on Sunday morning, Palestinian militants fired eight makeshift rockets from Gaza at Israeli towns close to the Strip. Three of the rockets landed in the Negev Desert town of Sderot, but did not cause any injuries. Another five landed in open areas in towns nearby.
The Israeli army yesterday began calling up five reserve battalion to reduce the load on regular conscript soldiers serving in the West Bank and Gaza and to beef up security along the 1967 border between Israel and the West Bank. "We are facing another wave of terror," said chief army spokeswoman, Ms Ruth Yaron.