Israeli army storms Rafah as resistance fighters prepare for likely Israeli attack

Sunday September 16, 2007 12:22 by Rami Almeghari - Rami Almeghari-IMEMC

Israeli army tanks incurred early on Sunday into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, as Palestinian resistance groups in the costal region were reportedly holding exercises, in anticipation of an imminent large-scale Israeli attack.

a part of the trainings by Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza/ photo by agencies

Witnesses said early on Sunday that several Israeli tanks rolled into the vicinity of the commercial crossing of Sofa in southeastern Rafah city.

The Israeli incursion came hours after resistance fighters of the Islamic Jihad group held training on Gaza-Egypt border line, known as Philadelphia route, in what the group considered a necessary measure, ahead of any Israeli invasion.

Other parts of the Gaza Strip saw such measures, as the Ezzieldin Elqassam brigades, the armed wing of the governing Hamas, the Shuhada aL-Aqsa brigades of Fatah, the Abuy Ali Mustafa brigades held extensive trainings.

Nezar Rayan, a leader of the Hamas’s Ezzildin Elqassam in northern Gaza Strip, warned Israel yesterday of ‘ a complete failure the way Israel sustained in last year’s war with the Lebanese Hizbullah party’.

In the meantime, the Israeli army had earlier shortly stormed the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahya, taking prisoners a number of locals.

Israeli officials have recently warned of massively attacking Gaza in what Israel termed ‘ a bid to stop the homemade shells fire’, being fired by the Palestinian resistance groups onto nearby Israeli towns.

The Israeli inner security cabinet put off Sunday a meeting of its members to discuss possible measures against the Palestinians, involving large-scale offensive, cutting off electricity or further restricting the closure on crossings.

Tzibi Livni, Israeli foreign minister, had earlier said that taking some measures like cutting off electricity or water won’t help stop the Palestinian homemade shells fire.

Tension on the ground came after the Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility last Sunday for a rocket attack on an Israeli army base in southern Israel, where at least 30 soldiers were slightly injured and many others sustained shock.

About sixty Palestinians including children and women, have been killed by the Israeli army in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank over the past three months, according to Palestinian sources.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources say that 12 Israelis have been killed during Palestinian homemade shells attacks

gaza strip | israeli attacks | news report rami at imemc dot org