Israel's military said Saturday that its 17-day
incursion into the northern Gaza Strip struck a heavy blow to
Palestinian militants routinely firing makeshift rockets into the
country's southern region. Palestinian residents, however, accused the
army of wanton destruction, saying the broad military offensive
targeted densely populated areas never used to launch rockets. At least
110 Palestinians -- including dozens of civilians -- were killed, making
this the bloodiest military offensive in northern Gaza in four years of
fighting. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia called the offensive
"part of a series of planned Israeli attacks to bring our people to
their knees, but this will never happen." The military campaign,
launched after a rocket strike on the Israeli border town of Sderot
killed two children, ended after nightfall Friday, when Israel withdrew
tanks and ground forces from populated areas in northern Gaza. But
Israeli officials conceded the operation was unlikely to halt the
rocket attacks altogether and stressed that the army was prepared to
return if necessary. [more ]
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