Hamas-Fatah violence in Gaza continues, and five Hamas members have been killed since yesterday. Hamas grenades landed atop a PA police station early this afternoon. Military correspondent Yinon Magal said that contrary to reports that yesterday's Hamas murder of a leading PA policeman was perpetrated by an individual seeking personal vengeance, "it's really a fight between Fatah and Hamas for control and power in Gaza... The riots afterwards were also quite organized and serious."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says that the IDF operation in Khan Yunis the night before last was "successful" - though he is sorry about the civilians who were killed during its course. Of the 14 dead, 12 were engaged in attacking the Israeli forces, and the other two were the mother of one of the 12 and a boy. The incident occurred shortly before 4 AM in Hamas-stronghold neighborhood of the Gaza Strip city.
This was the 16th such anti-terror mission in Gaza in the past month, according to correspondent Magal. "It's become quite routine," he told Arutz-7 today. "The forces enter, look for weapons and terrorists, try to engage terrorists and smash them, and then leave. They didn't catch the two they wanted or much weaponry in this past mission, but they did get a lot of terrorists…"
Prime Minister Sharon told the European Union's Javier Solana last night that Israel would continue to take such action against Gaza terrorists and terrorist infrastructures. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that the U.S. is "most concerned" over the killing of civilians, though he added that Israel has the right to defend itself. Some observers hearing these words recalled recent U.S. bombings in Afghanistan in which many civilians were killed.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says that the IDF operation in Khan Yunis the night before last was "successful" - though he is sorry about the civilians who were killed during its course. Of the 14 dead, 12 were engaged in attacking the Israeli forces, and the other two were the mother of one of the 12 and a boy. The incident occurred shortly before 4 AM in Hamas-stronghold neighborhood of the Gaza Strip city.
This was the 16th such anti-terror mission in Gaza in the past month, according to correspondent Magal. "It's become quite routine," he told Arutz-7 today. "The forces enter, look for weapons and terrorists, try to engage terrorists and smash them, and then leave. They didn't catch the two they wanted or much weaponry in this past mission, but they did get a lot of terrorists…"
Prime Minister Sharon told the European Union's Javier Solana last night that Israel would continue to take such action against Gaza terrorists and terrorist infrastructures. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that the U.S. is "most concerned" over the killing of civilians, though he added that Israel has the right to defend itself. Some observers hearing these words recalled recent U.S. bombings in Afghanistan in which many civilians were killed.