International   

Israel strikes at Hamas base in Gaza Strip

Atul Aneja

Palestinian militia threatens to resume suicide bombings

DUBAI: As nearly a week of fighting between the Palestinian factions abated, the conflict between the militant group Hamas and Israel is back in focus.

On Thursday, Israeli military aircraft struck a Hamas base in Gaza. Around 40 persons were injured in the attack. The Palestinians fired nearly 13 rockets at the Israeli border town of Sderat. The rocket attacks forced schools to shut down for a second consecutive day.

Faced with the rocket strikes, the Israeli leadership debated partial evacuation of residents of Sderat, home to Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz. Israeli media reported that a businessman sent buses to the town for lodging 600 residents in his hotel in Beersheba.

Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert is opposed to a mass evacuation, and has cited the war in Lebanon, during which towns were not emptied despite the hail of Hizbollah rockets. Mr. Peretz, on the other hand, wants that without going in for a full-scale evacuation, some residents should be given a "break" elsewhere. Israel Radio reported that the Defence Ministry on Thursday had started evacuating a number of Sderot residents to an armed forces' hostel in the northern town of Givat Olga.

Outside the Government, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu has advocated cutting off power and water supply to Gaza. He has also called for a limited 4-km incursion into Gaza.

With pressure mounting for an effective response, the Olmert Government on Wednesday night decided to use force. A meeting that included Mr. Olmert, his Defence Minister and senior military officials decided to resume targeted assassinations, and other unspecified actions.

"Israel will not be able to continue and show restraint when its citizens are being targeted, and therefore, it was decided to respond harshly," Mr. Olmert said after the meeting.

On Thursday afternoon, Israeli tanks crossed into the northern Gaza Strip. They took up what an army spokesman described were "defensive positions" just inside the territory.

Hamas, on its part, has also declared that the group was ready for battle, including undertaking suicide bombings in Israel. "This is an open war launched against Hamas. All options are open, including martyrdom operations," a spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas was quoted as saying.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Israel strikes at Hamas base in Gaza Strip
Colombo pulls out ICRC staff following LTTE shelling
A new curtain of peace: Seoul
Iran, U.S. to meet on Iraq
Brown confirmed Labour leader
Maldivian forces fire at vessel
"A gone man", says Sharif
India, Pak. exchange Sir Creek maps
United Kingdom lauds Dhaka for acting against camps of insurgent groups
Academics protest bid to muzzle artistic freedom
Indian woman detained after hijack joke

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu