Three Palestinians killed in renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza

Sunday January 06, 2008 19:45 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies

Israeli army incurred early on Sunday morning into the central refugee camp of Buraij, killing one resident and injuring three others.

Israeli artillery/archive photo

Palestinian medical sources identified the killed as Ziyad Abu Rokba, 17 and said that that three other people injured.

The sources added that the invading Israeli army force, comprised of two bulldozers and some tanks, opened fire at medical crews, forcing an ambulance to retreat after having smashed its glass.

Dr.Moawiya Abu Hasanin, chief of emergence and ambulance department, denounced the attack on crews.

Witnesses in the Buraij camp said that the two bulldozers razed vast areas of locals-owned arable lands; the tanks fired rounds of gunfire as some soldiers took over positions on nearby houses' rooftops.

In the meantime, an Israeli tank fired a land-to-land missile onto eastern Gaza city, killing a resident, said to be a member of the aL-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Media sources reported that the Israeli shelling also caused the injury of five others.

Also, an Israeli drone fired a missile on a group of people in northern Gaza Strip, killing a third Palestinian, said to be a member of the Salah Eldin brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees.

The said developments came concurrent with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert's declaration to step up attacks on 'every corner' of the Gaza Strip, after a Palestinian shell landed last Thursday on Ashkelon, 20 kilometers away from Gaza.

Israel has declared the coastal territory ' a hostile entity' since September, as Israeli army actions on the region have gone unabated, with more than 140 people killed since then.

Last week, Israeli attacks claimed the lives of 11 Palestinians including a four-member family, a mother, her two sons and her daughter.

Gaza has been suffering from a crippling Israeli closure since June2007, after the Islamist Hamas group took complete control over there, amidst a power struggle with Fatah party of Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas has shunned underway Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, until Israel halts attacks on Gaza, removes roadblocks in the West Bank and stop settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands.

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