IDF troops continue their valiant house-to-house search for body parts of the six soldiers who were killed yesterday in Gaza. Government and IDF sources said this morning that the operation would continue until the soldiers can be properly identified and buried. "We will find all those who desecrated the honor of our soldiers," said Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz today. "Our accounting with them will be bitter and accurate."
The operation met with some success today with the recovering of some body parts in Arab homes in Gaza. The soldiers are being exposed to increasing dangers as the day wears on, however, including escalating terrorist shootings and explosives. It was therefore announced this afternoon that the mission is scheduled to end this evening.
Within an hour after the tremendous explosion that destroyed the armored personnel carrier in which the six were traveling yesterday morning, "inhuman" Arab residents - in the words of Prime Minister Sharon - were seen on an Islamic television station, joyfully holding aloft some of the remains of the soldier, including a head. The force of the explosion, which was caused both by the 100-kilo explosive and the dozens of kilograms of explosives carried inside the vehicle, scattered pieces of the vehicle and everything inside it for many meters around. The local Arab residents, accustomed to swooping down on bombed-out vehicles and pulling out bodies and body parts, grabbed whatever they could and made off with them.
The terrorists later announced that they would present their demands for the return of the bodies to the "conquering country." Israel refuses to conduct any negotiations on the return of the bodies.
Many troops spent the night in a closed-off area of the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City - an area roughly the size of several city blocks. They called off the house-to-house searches early last night, and resumed them this morning.
Gush Katif spokesman Eran Sternberg explained that yesterday's tragedy must not be connected with the Jewish towns in Gaza. "It is important to emphasize," he said, "that operations of this sort, which some times cost us lives, have been carried out many times since the 1950s - well before the Jewish towns were established in Gaza. In fact, one of the reasons for starting these towns in the 1970s was in response to increasing terrorism. Among other things, the settlements make it easier for the soldiers to prepare for and set off for their missions."
Israel asked the International Red Cross (IRC) yesterday to intervene in retrieving the bodies. IRC officials said today that their attempts to make contact with local Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders had proved fruitless, and they were therefore turning to the organizations' Lebanese offices.
IDF Southern Region Commander Gen. Dan Har'el said last night, "Our mission is clear: to bring the fighters to Jewish burial... The forces are combing from house to house, climbing on every roof and every porch, to find the remains of our soldiers."
The Israel Air Force carried out two missile strikes today at the same building in the Zeitoun neighborhood, hitting armed terrorists engaged in attacking Israeli forces with gunfire and explosives. In another incident today, two Palestinian terrorists engaged in placing an explosive near Shechem were shot by an IDF force.
The operation met with some success today with the recovering of some body parts in Arab homes in Gaza. The soldiers are being exposed to increasing dangers as the day wears on, however, including escalating terrorist shootings and explosives. It was therefore announced this afternoon that the mission is scheduled to end this evening.
Within an hour after the tremendous explosion that destroyed the armored personnel carrier in which the six were traveling yesterday morning, "inhuman" Arab residents - in the words of Prime Minister Sharon - were seen on an Islamic television station, joyfully holding aloft some of the remains of the soldier, including a head. The force of the explosion, which was caused both by the 100-kilo explosive and the dozens of kilograms of explosives carried inside the vehicle, scattered pieces of the vehicle and everything inside it for many meters around. The local Arab residents, accustomed to swooping down on bombed-out vehicles and pulling out bodies and body parts, grabbed whatever they could and made off with them.
The terrorists later announced that they would present their demands for the return of the bodies to the "conquering country." Israel refuses to conduct any negotiations on the return of the bodies.
Many troops spent the night in a closed-off area of the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City - an area roughly the size of several city blocks. They called off the house-to-house searches early last night, and resumed them this morning.
Gush Katif spokesman Eran Sternberg explained that yesterday's tragedy must not be connected with the Jewish towns in Gaza. "It is important to emphasize," he said, "that operations of this sort, which some times cost us lives, have been carried out many times since the 1950s - well before the Jewish towns were established in Gaza. In fact, one of the reasons for starting these towns in the 1970s was in response to increasing terrorism. Among other things, the settlements make it easier for the soldiers to prepare for and set off for their missions."
Israel asked the International Red Cross (IRC) yesterday to intervene in retrieving the bodies. IRC officials said today that their attempts to make contact with local Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders had proved fruitless, and they were therefore turning to the organizations' Lebanese offices.
IDF Southern Region Commander Gen. Dan Har'el said last night, "Our mission is clear: to bring the fighters to Jewish burial... The forces are combing from house to house, climbing on every roof and every porch, to find the remains of our soldiers."
The Israel Air Force carried out two missile strikes today at the same building in the Zeitoun neighborhood, hitting armed terrorists engaged in attacking Israeli forces with gunfire and explosives. In another incident today, two Palestinian terrorists engaged in placing an explosive near Shechem were shot by an IDF force.