Army troops killed at least six terrorists, injured more than a dozen others and leveled buildings used as bases for firing mortars and rockets.
"We will stay as long as is necessary…so the Jewish residents will have some quiet, at least for a period of time," said an IDF commander of the Givati brigade. Troops took up posts in the city of Khan Yunis, bordering Jewish communities in Gush Katif in southern Gaza.
Intensified mortar shelling, one of which killed a female foreign worker earlier this week, and gunfire on the main road, compelled Israel defense officials to reverse their decision to remain on the outskirts of Khan Yunis. The upcoming Palestinian Authority (PA) elections frequently have been cited as one of the reasons the government has ordered restraint so that Israel would not be blamed for disruptions in the elections. According to military sources, "The situation has become intolerable. More than 50 shells have been fired into Jewish communities in the past weeks."
Arabs have escalated the attacks while both Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have suggested that the PA take responsibility for security in the area. Although a senior Army officer said this past week it would try to stop the shelling just as it tries to stop rocket fire in the western Negev, Arab attacks have continued without interruption. Two Kassam rockets fell in the Sederot area Friday and mortar shells exploded in Neve Dekalim in Jewish Gaza, despite the IDF's Orange Iron operation. Rocket fragments damaged one car, but no one was injured.
Defense officials confirmed that an Air Force helicopter fired a missile on a munitions factory and destroyed a building near Rafiah that was used to camouflage a tunnel entrance. Rafiah is on the Philadelphi route on the Egyptian border and is a major transfer point for weapons, drugs and illegal persons to Israel. Five Arabs were killed late Friday morning when a smuggling tunnel collapsed on them.
Eleven Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded Thursday night when a mortar shell hit a military outpost near Atzmona. The Arabs also fired two anti-tank shells at Israeli forces, but no one was hurt, and Israeli troops killed one of the terrorists who fired the shells. The PA reported that many local Arab residents fled their homes in advance of IDF bulldozers which have razed those from where shells and rockets have been fired.
The army has not placed roadblocks on the key Gaza arteries, a measure often employed in the past to prevent free passage for terrorists and their weapons.
The IDF was "surprised" by the terrorists' success in reaching the Kisufim roadway two days when ago when Arab gunfire injured five Israelis. Arutz Sheva’s Haggai Huberman has learned that the army has been making great efforts to prevent attacks along the road which serves as the main entrance into Gush Katif. The IDF is building a fence alongside the road. Terrorists have been pin-pointing their efforts at perpetrating attacks where the fence is not yet completed.
"We will stay as long as is necessary…so the Jewish residents will have some quiet, at least for a period of time," said an IDF commander of the Givati brigade. Troops took up posts in the city of Khan Yunis, bordering Jewish communities in Gush Katif in southern Gaza.
Intensified mortar shelling, one of which killed a female foreign worker earlier this week, and gunfire on the main road, compelled Israel defense officials to reverse their decision to remain on the outskirts of Khan Yunis. The upcoming Palestinian Authority (PA) elections frequently have been cited as one of the reasons the government has ordered restraint so that Israel would not be blamed for disruptions in the elections. According to military sources, "The situation has become intolerable. More than 50 shells have been fired into Jewish communities in the past weeks."
Arabs have escalated the attacks while both Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have suggested that the PA take responsibility for security in the area. Although a senior Army officer said this past week it would try to stop the shelling just as it tries to stop rocket fire in the western Negev, Arab attacks have continued without interruption. Two Kassam rockets fell in the Sederot area Friday and mortar shells exploded in Neve Dekalim in Jewish Gaza, despite the IDF's Orange Iron operation. Rocket fragments damaged one car, but no one was injured.
Defense officials confirmed that an Air Force helicopter fired a missile on a munitions factory and destroyed a building near Rafiah that was used to camouflage a tunnel entrance. Rafiah is on the Philadelphi route on the Egyptian border and is a major transfer point for weapons, drugs and illegal persons to Israel. Five Arabs were killed late Friday morning when a smuggling tunnel collapsed on them.
Eleven Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded Thursday night when a mortar shell hit a military outpost near Atzmona. The Arabs also fired two anti-tank shells at Israeli forces, but no one was hurt, and Israeli troops killed one of the terrorists who fired the shells. The PA reported that many local Arab residents fled their homes in advance of IDF bulldozers which have razed those from where shells and rockets have been fired.
The army has not placed roadblocks on the key Gaza arteries, a measure often employed in the past to prevent free passage for terrorists and their weapons.
The IDF was "surprised" by the terrorists' success in reaching the Kisufim roadway two days when ago when Arab gunfire injured five Israelis. Arutz Sheva’s Haggai Huberman has learned that the army has been making great efforts to prevent attacks along the road which serves as the main entrance into Gush Katif. The IDF is building a fence alongside the road. Terrorists have been pin-pointing their efforts at perpetrating attacks where the fence is not yet completed.