Hevron was the scene of intensive exchanges of gunfire today, where Arabs renewed heavy attacks on the Jewish community. IDF tanks responded with force; an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in the exchange, while one Palestinian was killed and ten were wounded. Arafat\'s armed forces opened fire from the Shalhevet (Abu Sneineh) hills at children playing in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood playground. No one was hurt. Hevron Jews call on the government once again to enter Abu Sneineh, \"but this time not to merely destroy two buildings, but to remain there.\" Since yesterday, Palestinians have also fired at soldiers between Kiryat Arba and Hevron and at the Givat Harsina neighborhood.
Additional Hevron fighting took place in Admot Yeshai (Tel Romeida), where seven Jewish families continue to live not in stone houses, impervious to bullet shots, but in caravans where Arab bullets often fly from room to room before coming to rest. Hevron spokesman David Wilder writes,
\"Only miracle after miracle has prevented casualties and tragedy. Yet those families live there, not for themselves, not for any material reward, but because they are living an ideal… in the shadow of Abraham and Sarah, in the shadow of King David… Earlier this month, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected claims by Hevron Arabs and Israeli left-wing activists aimed at preventing construction of permanent housing for Tel Romeida\'s residents. Hopefully, in the near future, the neighborhood will consist not of seven families, but of 70 families, living not in paper-thin caravans, but in full-fledged homes.\"
A Jewish truck driver was lightly wounded when hit by gunfire in Gush Katif this morning, and is hospitalized in Soroka Hospital in Be\'er Sheva. Just a bit further south, towards Rafiach, Golani brigade soldiers killed a Fatah terrorist who was one of a cell that opened fire on an Israeli force engaged at the time in \"opening\" a route. They returned fire, and only later discovered that one of the terrorists had been killed. IDF bulldozers, accompanied by tanks, destroyed six empty buildings on the outskirts of Rafiach in southern Gaza that had been used for hiding weapons smuggled from Egypt.
Palestinians in the Shilo area, north of Ramallah, attempted to murder an Israeli motorist and his passengers this evening; the shots hit the car, but no one was hurt. Near PA-controlled Tul Karem, east of Netanya, soldiers moderately wounded a terrorist; Palestinians claimed that it was an assassination attempt, but the IDF maintains that this was a routine exchange of fire that continued for a while afterwards. Arabs in Gaza opened fire at Israeli targets three times late this afternoon; IDF soldiers returned fire in two of the incidents. Shots were fired last night at Psagot and, for the second night in a row, at Beit El; no one was hurt.
Life in the northern border communities is continuing as usual, but farmers there have been asked to be extra cautious. This, in light of intelligence warnings that Hizbullah may attempt a major attack against Israeli forces there. The fear is that Hizbullah terrorists would like to encourage the Palestinian war effort by opening another front in the north. The northern coast city of Akko (Acre) was also placed under terrorist-attack warning today.
Additional Hevron fighting took place in Admot Yeshai (Tel Romeida), where seven Jewish families continue to live not in stone houses, impervious to bullet shots, but in caravans where Arab bullets often fly from room to room before coming to rest. Hevron spokesman David Wilder writes,
\"Only miracle after miracle has prevented casualties and tragedy. Yet those families live there, not for themselves, not for any material reward, but because they are living an ideal… in the shadow of Abraham and Sarah, in the shadow of King David… Earlier this month, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected claims by Hevron Arabs and Israeli left-wing activists aimed at preventing construction of permanent housing for Tel Romeida\'s residents. Hopefully, in the near future, the neighborhood will consist not of seven families, but of 70 families, living not in paper-thin caravans, but in full-fledged homes.\"
A Jewish truck driver was lightly wounded when hit by gunfire in Gush Katif this morning, and is hospitalized in Soroka Hospital in Be\'er Sheva. Just a bit further south, towards Rafiach, Golani brigade soldiers killed a Fatah terrorist who was one of a cell that opened fire on an Israeli force engaged at the time in \"opening\" a route. They returned fire, and only later discovered that one of the terrorists had been killed. IDF bulldozers, accompanied by tanks, destroyed six empty buildings on the outskirts of Rafiach in southern Gaza that had been used for hiding weapons smuggled from Egypt.
Palestinians in the Shilo area, north of Ramallah, attempted to murder an Israeli motorist and his passengers this evening; the shots hit the car, but no one was hurt. Near PA-controlled Tul Karem, east of Netanya, soldiers moderately wounded a terrorist; Palestinians claimed that it was an assassination attempt, but the IDF maintains that this was a routine exchange of fire that continued for a while afterwards. Arabs in Gaza opened fire at Israeli targets three times late this afternoon; IDF soldiers returned fire in two of the incidents. Shots were fired last night at Psagot and, for the second night in a row, at Beit El; no one was hurt.
Life in the northern border communities is continuing as usual, but farmers there have been asked to be extra cautious. This, in light of intelligence warnings that Hizbullah may attempt a major attack against Israeli forces there. The fear is that Hizbullah terrorists would like to encourage the Palestinian war effort by opening another front in the north. The northern coast city of Akko (Acre) was also placed under terrorist-attack warning today.