soldiers and six Palestinians were killed in a day of fierce fighting in Gaza City, officials said Tuesday, May 11. The Israeli soldiers were killed during an operation to find and destroy factories making rockets and other weapons in a neighborhood of Gaza City as part of what Israel calls an ongoing war on terror. A roadside bomb exploded as their explosives-laded armored vehicle passed by, news reports said.
The militant group Hamas, which is on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations, claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it had used an anti-tank missile to force the vehicle into an area where it had previously planted bombs, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.
Hamas claims to have filmed the deadly ambush, which is believed to have accounted for the highest death toll of Israeli soldiers in a single operation in nearly 18 months. Israeli troop reinforcements were sent to the area and conducted house-to-house searches for the remains of the soldiers after Hamas said it was holding on to the body parts, VOA reported.
PALESTINIANS KILLED
Soon after at least five Palestinians were reported killed as battles raged between soldiers and Palestinian gunmen throughout the day. More than 100 others were wounded. A sixth Palestinian, reportedly a teenage boy, was killed and several others wounded when an Israeli military helicopter fired missiles at a car near the battle scene, VOA said.
Condemnation of the Israeli attacks was reportedly swiftly forthcoming from the Palestinian Authority. "We condemn with the strongest possible terms the Israeli military escalation," Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat reportedly said. "The escalation is only a part of Israel’s campaign to continue the path of violence and confrontation."
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), which closely monitors the situation, said "hundreds of Palestinian gunmen rushed into the streets to combat the offensive" as Israeli helicopters fired missiles at metal shops allegedly used by terrorist organizations to manufacture Kassam rockets and mortars to target nearby Jewish communities.
UNDERCOVER FORCES
"Between 40 and 50 other Palestinians were also reported wounded in the clashes that began when Israeli undercover forces, backed by heavily armored units, sped into the city in civilian taxis and jeeps late Monday night," ICEJ News Service said.
The ICEJ, a Christian organization supporting the State of Israel and Jewish people, said Tuesday’s bloodshed was "the most significant loss of Israeli life in Gaza since Palestinian terrorists gunned down a pregnant Israeli mother, Tali Hatuel, and her four daughters at point blank range on the Kissufim road a week ago" . On Sunday, Palestinians disguised as women opened fire with automatic weapons at several hundred Israeli settlers as they attended a memorial service at the murder site.
