A battle raged this morning near the N\'vei Dekalim industrial area in Gush Katif (Gaza, on Israel\'s southern Mediterranean coastline) between Israeli soldiers and Arabs. It began when Palestinian-fired mortar shells hit the area, causing damage to one of the buildings, and continued with intensive gunfire on both sides. Yitzchak Cohen, a worker in the area, told Arutz-7 today:
\"The fighting this morning was very heavy, with the terrorists firing all sorts of rockets, but now [in the afternoon] it\'s become quieter. The army has put up an 8-meter-high wall here against sniper fire, but it doesn\'t help: they now fire mortars over the wall. I have the feeling that the Arabs are trying to blow up the wall, because there were two large explosions there... We are of course continuing to work here, because this is the real war. They are trying to break us, and I hereby inform them: You will not break us. We will continue to work here and support our families and build up the Jewish communities here - this is our motto.\"
Several bullets were later fired at a group of schoolchildren walking in the town, but no one was hurt.
Another Gush Katif town - Netzer Hazani - is also under fire. As its residents were returning last night from the funeral of their friend Ettie Fahima, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night, they heard that powerful mortar shells were falling on their homes. \"All residents please enter your secure rooms,\" they were informed over their special radio systems, as they wondered with concern where their children were at that very moment. When they returned, they found that the small group of volunteers who stayed behind had divided them up into groups and was watching over them. The next morning, however, two rocket shells were found: One had landed inside a hothouse, and the other near the town\'s fence. Army representatives are scheduled to meet with the residents - but not before tomorrow or Sunday, when they arrive for to pay a condolence visit to the Fahima family.
Residents of Gush Katif placed two caravans at the junction where Ettie Fahima was murdered. Other residents protested this afternoon, together with former Chief Rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu, outside the Prime Minister\'s office, demanding a firm fight against terrorism and the withdrawal of the offer of a Palestinian state.
\"The fighting this morning was very heavy, with the terrorists firing all sorts of rockets, but now [in the afternoon] it\'s become quieter. The army has put up an 8-meter-high wall here against sniper fire, but it doesn\'t help: they now fire mortars over the wall. I have the feeling that the Arabs are trying to blow up the wall, because there were two large explosions there... We are of course continuing to work here, because this is the real war. They are trying to break us, and I hereby inform them: You will not break us. We will continue to work here and support our families and build up the Jewish communities here - this is our motto.\"
Several bullets were later fired at a group of schoolchildren walking in the town, but no one was hurt.
Another Gush Katif town - Netzer Hazani - is also under fire. As its residents were returning last night from the funeral of their friend Ettie Fahima, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night, they heard that powerful mortar shells were falling on their homes. \"All residents please enter your secure rooms,\" they were informed over their special radio systems, as they wondered with concern where their children were at that very moment. When they returned, they found that the small group of volunteers who stayed behind had divided them up into groups and was watching over them. The next morning, however, two rocket shells were found: One had landed inside a hothouse, and the other near the town\'s fence. Army representatives are scheduled to meet with the residents - but not before tomorrow or Sunday, when they arrive for to pay a condolence visit to the Fahima family.
Residents of Gush Katif placed two caravans at the junction where Ettie Fahima was murdered. Other residents protested this afternoon, together with former Chief Rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu, outside the Prime Minister\'s office, demanding a firm fight against terrorism and the withdrawal of the offer of a Palestinian state.