Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in Gaza
The strike hit a
four-wheel-drive near the Egyptian border, officials say
Two members of the ruling Hamas
security forces have been killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip,
Palestinian officials say.
They died when their car was hit in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, Palestinian sources said.
Israel said it hit "two terror operatives", thwarting an attack which was in "a very advanced stage of planning".
Violence intermittently flares up across the Israel-Gaza border.
Two weeks ago, six Palestinians, who Israel said were preparing attacks against it, were killed in air strikes in Gaza. Several Israelis and at least two Palestinians were hurt in rocket attacks on Israel, and further air strikes on Gaza, which followed.
Hamas named the two men killed in the latest strike as border guards Lt Ashraf Saleh, 33, and his deputy, Anis Abu al-Aynin, 22.
It said they were "on their routine daily business of inspecting and securing the southern border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt" when they were hit late on Wednesday night.
Pictures from the scene showed crowds of people gathered around the burnt-out wreckage of a white Toyota four-wheel drive.
Israel said the men were affiliated with the Defenders of al-Aqsa, which it described as "a terrorist group sponsored by Hamas".
"The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] and Shin Bet [security agency] follow everything that happens in Gaza," the IDF said on Twitter. "The attack we thwarted last night was at a very advanced stage of planning.
"Terrorists planned to exit Gaza into Sinai and then enter Israel through our border fence and attack the heart of the country during the holidays," it said, referring to the festival of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, which occurs next week.
Militants from small factions not belonging to Hamas often fire rockets into Israel, but Israel has said it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.
However violent and unnecessary these attacks seem to people it's apparent that some important tasks are being accomplished. Any terror attacks that are thwarted are a success in my book
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it is a good thing when terrorists are stopped. However, the Israelis had no proof other than the fact that these two men were members of Hamas, that they were terrorists, or intent on destruction of any kind. The only proof offered, at least in the context of this article, is that the Israelis stated they were "two terror operatives".
ReplyDeleteShukri A.
its good that they are trying to stop this terrorist before they become a bigger proble. hopefully this kinda of attacks dont spread to other countries.
ReplyDeleteJose Ayala
Yeah I am all for putting down terrorists and stuff but the Israelis need to work on there aim doe. -Logan P.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Shukri. There's always a lot of finger pointing when conflict occurs in between Israel and Palestinians. Israel claims they were terrorists. Hamas counters with the opposite, loyal men performing their duties that were killed without warrant. Israel has always maintained this preemptive strike mantra and as a part of that mantra, they act on the warrant of national security. Most of these engagements that occur between Israel and Palestinians have been retaliatory. Militants fired rockets and mortars into Israel. Israel launches airstrikes into Palestine. In this case, Israel claimed that the two men killed oversaw the completion of underground tunnels to import goods from Egypt which Israel claims to be used to smuggle in arms used to attack Israel and harm her citizens. It's always hard to tell who's right or wrong in these situations, but in my opinion, Israel needs to be held accountable for these killings. Had Israel launched attacks on any other nation in the region, controversy would erupt, but with Palestine, it's the same ball game.
ReplyDelete- Alan