Israeli occupation forces kill 2 Palestinians from a commando cell

Date: 13 / 02 / 2008  Time:  20:12
Bethlehem - Ma'an –

Two days ago Israeli occupation forces killed two Palestinians, believed to be part of a commando cell, on the border with Egypt, credible sources told Ma'an.

The men are alleged to have been part of a group of fighters that came from Gaza to the Israeli-Egyptian borders through the Sinai desert and were caught in an Israeli army ambush.

The sources added that the premature announcement of the identities of the alleged Dimona bombers alerted Israeli security forces to the existence of another cell that was on its way from Gaza. After this information was revealed, the Israeli security forces on the border with Egypt went on high alert and were able to detect the armed men and to ambush them.

Ma'an also learned that their bodies were left at the scene of the ambush, on the Egyptian side of the border after the Israeli special force refused to bring them into the Israeli territories, according to the rules of engagement in these cases.

Israeli tanks re-enter southern Gaza; DFLP fighter wounded in earlier incursion

Date: 13 / 02 / 2008  Time:  10:45
Gaza – Ma'an –

Israeli occupation military vehicles re-entered the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, hours after an earlier incursion on Tuesday night that wounded one Palestinian fighter.

Witnesses said five Israeli tanks have positioned themselves near the abandoned Yasser Arafat International Airport near Rafah.

The military wing of Hamas claimed to have fired several mortar shells at the invading tanks, who are still in the area at the time of writing.

On Tuesday night, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades, said that one of their fighters was injured while fighting undercover Israeli forces near the airport.

They said in a statement that a group of their fighters confronted the invading forces using machineguns and grenades.

Collective punishment after stabbing an Israeli soldier in Jaba'a village, near Jenin

Israeli soldier stabbed in Jab'a village, near Jenin

Wednesday February 13, 2008 11:02 by Ali Samoudi - IMEMC News nisreen at imemc dot org

Israeli sources have revealed that a soldier of the Israeli occupation army was stabbed by a Palestinian man from Jaba'a village, south of Jenin, on Tuesday night.

Sources claimed the perpetrator to be a member of the Islamic Jihad movement, and was captured directly after the incident.

The Palestinian man was reportedly holding a knife when he arrived at an established Israeli checkpoint at the village entrance. A military spokesperson stated that the unidentified man then stabbed a soldier, causing him minor injuries. The army confirmed that they had detained the man in custody and indicated their belief of his membership of the Islamic Jihad movement.

In the wake of the operation, the army closed the area and several Israeli army units patrolled the area, carrying out widespread invasions, ransacking family homes during the operation.

On Wednesday, the district of Jenin is still undergoing a tight blockade imposed by the Israeli military for the fifth consecutive day. Troops have also constructed dirt barrier roadblocks at the entrance to the village of Jaba'a.

The construction of dirt barriers involves excavating the road on either side of the barrier, to provide a massive pile of earth and concrete between two ditches. The excavation often threatens underground power and communication cables, as well as essential water and sanitation pipes. In 2002, several water pipes were damaged during the Israeli military siege on Jenin, leading to an outbreak of cholera.

Israeli authorities stated that the blockade had been imposed on the village after receiving several notifications of the intention of some Palestinian factions to carry out military operations in Israel.

Translated by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News.