Israeli army claims Palestinian fighters fired projectile at Israeli tank in Gaza

Saturday March 19, 2011 17:35

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Israeli forces operating in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Friday claim that they were attacked by Palestinian fighters, who fired an anti-tank projectile at an Israeli tank.

Israeli tank in Rafah (image from wn.com)

The invasion of the border area, near Rafah, took place after the Israeli airforce dropped thousands of leaflets into the area on Thursday night telling residents to stay away from the area near the border. Over the last ten years, Israel has encroached over 200 meters into southern Rafah and Khan Younis, demolishing thousands of homes and declaring the area a ‘kill zone’ for anyone who attempts to rebuild their homes or even enters the area.

According to a statement by the Israeli military, the troops were engaged in a “routine operation” in southern Gaza when Palestinian resistance fighters fired an anti-tank projectile at one of the tanks involved in the operation. No injuries were reported.

The military said that they planned to respond to the attack, but were assessing the situation to determine the response.

Although Israel claims to have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip since the relocation of 5,000 settlers and the demolition of the settlements on the Gaza coast in 2005. But Israeli troops have remained in bases located around the perimeter of the Gaza Strip, and have maintained a presence of military battleships off the coast, in addition to engaging in frequent invasions of the Gaza Strip that have killed over 2000 Palestinians since 2005. 18 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in that time period.