13 aug 2012
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) intensified on Sunday security and military measures in al-Khalil, as it raided towns and villages, set up checkpoints and closed the city's streets.
Eyewitnesses from different districts told PIC that the IOF were deployed at the entrances to cities and towns and in main and branch roads in al-Khalil governorate, for fear of operations that might be launched by resistance factions.
The IOF also raided and searched al-Fahs area and the industrial zone south of the city and set up a checkpoint near the army post in al-Fahs to search citizens' vehicles and check identities, the witnesses added.
The occupation also escalated its security measures at the Ibrahimi Mosque vicinity as the Israeli soldiers closed Shuhada Street leading to the mosque hindering the arrival of worshipers.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers broke into and searched two houses in Tapuah town west of al-Khalil and stormed another house in Dura, south of the city, where Palestinian youths threw stones at soldiers, who responded firing stun grenades and rubber bullets.
The occupation soldiers set up military checkpoints on Monday morning at the entrance to Fawar refugee camp, southern al-Khalil, and at the northern entrance to Yatta, to search the vehicles and check the citizens' IDs.
Other attacks today: Committee: Israeli forces uproot land in Bethlehem village
Israeli Army Chief Orders Legalization of Settlement Outpost in Salfit
Warnings against Israeli scheme to control the Aqsa
Occupation allows settlers to use water pond registered as Islamic Waqf
Eyewitnesses from different districts told PIC that the IOF were deployed at the entrances to cities and towns and in main and branch roads in al-Khalil governorate, for fear of operations that might be launched by resistance factions.
The IOF also raided and searched al-Fahs area and the industrial zone south of the city and set up a checkpoint near the army post in al-Fahs to search citizens' vehicles and check identities, the witnesses added.
The occupation also escalated its security measures at the Ibrahimi Mosque vicinity as the Israeli soldiers closed Shuhada Street leading to the mosque hindering the arrival of worshipers.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers broke into and searched two houses in Tapuah town west of al-Khalil and stormed another house in Dura, south of the city, where Palestinian youths threw stones at soldiers, who responded firing stun grenades and rubber bullets.
The occupation soldiers set up military checkpoints on Monday morning at the entrance to Fawar refugee camp, southern al-Khalil, and at the northern entrance to Yatta, to search the vehicles and check the citizens' IDs.
Other attacks today: Committee: Israeli forces uproot land in Bethlehem village
Israeli Army Chief Orders Legalization of Settlement Outpost in Salfit
Warnings against Israeli scheme to control the Aqsa
Occupation allows settlers to use water pond registered as Islamic Waqf
Two Palestinians were wounded on Sunday morning when an Israeli settler, in a speeding car, deliberately rammed into their vehicle east of Nablus.
Ghassan Douglas, monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said that an Israeli settler from Yitzhar settlement in a Toyota car rammed into a Palestinian vehicle in the town of Beit Furik east of Nablus.
Two Palestinians, Majdi Hanini and Zaid Adel Hanini, were transferred to Rafidia hospital in Nablus for treatment with moderate injuries.
Ghassan Douglas, monitoring settlement activity north of the West Bank, said that an Israeli settler from Yitzhar settlement in a Toyota car rammed into a Palestinian vehicle in the town of Beit Furik east of Nablus.
Two Palestinians, Majdi Hanini and Zaid Adel Hanini, were transferred to Rafidia hospital in Nablus for treatment with moderate injuries.
12 aug 2012
Livestock that belong to a Palestinian farmer from Yatta, a town south of Hebron, died Saturday night after they have been poisoned by Israeli settlers, according to the Popular Committee coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour.
He told WAFA that Israeli settlers from Sosiya settlement illegally built on the town’s land, sprayed toxic poison on wild grass in grazing fields surrounding the settlement, causing the death of 13 sheep.
He told WAFA that Israeli settlers from Sosiya settlement illegally built on the town’s land, sprayed toxic poison on wild grass in grazing fields surrounding the settlement, causing the death of 13 sheep.
11 aug 2012
A Palestinian farmer was shot and wounded at the hands of Israeli occupation forces (IOF) south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning.
The PIC reporter in the area said that IOF soldiers mounting an army jeep opened fire at the farmer, Mohammed Al-Farra, east of Abasan in an area called Al-Baraka.
He said that Farra was injured in one of his hands and feet.
IOF troops daily open gunfire at Palestinians and their property along the eastern borders of the Strip.
Israeli snipers injure young farmer with live fire in Gaza
In the northern part of the Gaza Strip Saturday, Israeli snipers stationed in a guard tower at the border shot and injured a farmer who was tending his land and allegedly got too close to the 'no man's land' established by Israeli troops.
The 'no man's land' is a wide stretch of land in the crowded Gaza Strip that stretches up to 300 meters from the border fence, and encompasses a lot of Palestinian farmland. Palestinians who enter the area are subject to be shot without warning by Israeli troops stationed along the border.
According to the Gazan Health Minister Ashraf al-Qidrah, the as-yet unidentified young man was shot in his right hand and taken to a nearby hospital.
No further information was given about the incident, and the Israeli military did not issue a statement.
Palestinian officials have long called on Israel to stop shooting Palestinian farmers along the border, and consider the 'no man's land' to be an infringement on their sovereignty. In the past, children, mentally-disabled adults and dozens of farmers have been shot and killed in this zone.
The PIC reporter in the area said that IOF soldiers mounting an army jeep opened fire at the farmer, Mohammed Al-Farra, east of Abasan in an area called Al-Baraka.
He said that Farra was injured in one of his hands and feet.
IOF troops daily open gunfire at Palestinians and their property along the eastern borders of the Strip.
Israeli snipers injure young farmer with live fire in Gaza
In the northern part of the Gaza Strip Saturday, Israeli snipers stationed in a guard tower at the border shot and injured a farmer who was tending his land and allegedly got too close to the 'no man's land' established by Israeli troops.
The 'no man's land' is a wide stretch of land in the crowded Gaza Strip that stretches up to 300 meters from the border fence, and encompasses a lot of Palestinian farmland. Palestinians who enter the area are subject to be shot without warning by Israeli troops stationed along the border.
According to the Gazan Health Minister Ashraf al-Qidrah, the as-yet unidentified young man was shot in his right hand and taken to a nearby hospital.
No further information was given about the incident, and the Israeli military did not issue a statement.
Palestinian officials have long called on Israel to stop shooting Palestinian farmers along the border, and consider the 'no man's land' to be an infringement on their sovereignty. In the past, children, mentally-disabled adults and dozens of farmers have been shot and killed in this zone.
Israeli navy boats Saturday opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off Gaza City coast in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
They said the Israeli navy targeted fishermen’s boats with heavy machinegun fire forcing the fishermen to leave the area. No injuries were reported.
They said the Israeli navy targeted fishermen’s boats with heavy machinegun fire forcing the fishermen to leave the area. No injuries were reported.
Despite the hot weather and fasting for the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of people came out for the weekly non-violent demonstrations against the Wall in five different villages on Friday.
Anti-wall protests were organized in the village of Kufer Kadum, in the northern West Bank in addition to Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh in the central West Bank. The southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara also organized a protest against the wall this week as well.
Two civilians were injured on Friday in Kufer Kadum when Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers and their international supporters.
Soldiers stopped the Kufer Kadum protesters at the entrance of the village then fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at them. One young man was critically injured in the head by a tear gas bomb and another man was injured in his leg by rubber-coated steel bullet. Many others were treated for tear gas inhalation.
In the central West Bank, troops also used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh and their international and Israeli supporters. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation at all three locations.
In Bil'in village, the weekly march organized by the Popular Committee against the Wall and settlements in Bil'in began from the center of the village towards the area adjacent to the apartheid wall. The march included participation of residents from Bil'in, Israeli and foreigner peace activists. Participants raised Palestinian flags and they chanted slogans calling for the demolition of the apartheid wall , liberation of Palestinian political prisoners and ending the occupation.
Upon the arrival of participants to Abo laimon area, the Israeli soldiers situated behind the concrete wall started shooting tear gas, rubber bullets, and skunk water mixed with chemicals towards demonstrators which led to dozens of cases of asphyxiation, all of which were treated on the field
Elsewhere on Friday, in southern West Bank, Al Ma’sara villagers also held their weekly anti wall protest. Israeli forces station there forced people back into the village using rifle-buts and batons. No injuries were reported.
Dozens injured in peaceful marches against settlement in W. Bank
Dozens were wounded in peaceful marches organized on Friday afternoon in the West Bank villages of Kafr Qaddum and Masarah.
A massive crowd of Palestinian villagers and foreign activists marched after the Friday prayers towards the main entrance of Kafr Qaddum village to protest as usual its closure for more than 10 years.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stationed at the entrance quelled the march upon its arrival and fired a barrage of rubber bullets and tear gas grenades causing several injuries among the protestors.
In Masarah village near Bethlehem city, a Palestinian activist named Iyad Zawahra was severely wounded when Israeli soldiers physically assaulted him during the anti-wall march yesterday.
Others also suffered injuries in clashes with the IOF upon their arrival near the segregation wall in the village.
Anti-wall protests were organized in the village of Kufer Kadum, in the northern West Bank in addition to Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh in the central West Bank. The southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara also organized a protest against the wall this week as well.
Two civilians were injured on Friday in Kufer Kadum when Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers and their international supporters.
Soldiers stopped the Kufer Kadum protesters at the entrance of the village then fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at them. One young man was critically injured in the head by a tear gas bomb and another man was injured in his leg by rubber-coated steel bullet. Many others were treated for tear gas inhalation.
In the central West Bank, troops also used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against Bil’in, Nil’in and Nabi Saleh and their international and Israeli supporters. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation at all three locations.
In Bil'in village, the weekly march organized by the Popular Committee against the Wall and settlements in Bil'in began from the center of the village towards the area adjacent to the apartheid wall. The march included participation of residents from Bil'in, Israeli and foreigner peace activists. Participants raised Palestinian flags and they chanted slogans calling for the demolition of the apartheid wall , liberation of Palestinian political prisoners and ending the occupation.
Upon the arrival of participants to Abo laimon area, the Israeli soldiers situated behind the concrete wall started shooting tear gas, rubber bullets, and skunk water mixed with chemicals towards demonstrators which led to dozens of cases of asphyxiation, all of which were treated on the field
Elsewhere on Friday, in southern West Bank, Al Ma’sara villagers also held their weekly anti wall protest. Israeli forces station there forced people back into the village using rifle-buts and batons. No injuries were reported.
Dozens injured in peaceful marches against settlement in W. Bank
Dozens were wounded in peaceful marches organized on Friday afternoon in the West Bank villages of Kafr Qaddum and Masarah.
A massive crowd of Palestinian villagers and foreign activists marched after the Friday prayers towards the main entrance of Kafr Qaddum village to protest as usual its closure for more than 10 years.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stationed at the entrance quelled the march upon its arrival and fired a barrage of rubber bullets and tear gas grenades causing several injuries among the protestors.
In Masarah village near Bethlehem city, a Palestinian activist named Iyad Zawahra was severely wounded when Israeli soldiers physically assaulted him during the anti-wall march yesterday.
Others also suffered injuries in clashes with the IOF upon their arrival near the segregation wall in the village.
A busload of Palestinians returning from Ramadan prayers in the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem late Friday night were attacked by a group of heavily armed settlers who threw rocks at the bus, injuring 8.
Earlier this week, settlers tried to mount an explosive device under a car in a village near the location of Friday's attack on the bus.
The attack took place on the main road between Ramallah and Nablus in the northern West Bank, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Shilo, around 1:30 in the morning.
The settlers apparently laid in waiting for the bus of worshippers, then emerged fully-armed and throwing rocks.
Eight people injured by rocks and broken glass were taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.
Following the attack, the Israeli military closed the road, which is the main artery from the northern to the central West Bank, for more than two hours.
No one was arrested in the attack, and no investigation is being made into the incident. But Israeli soldiers have set up new checkpoints along the road, which is mainly used by Palestinians.
Earlier this week, settlers tried to mount an explosive device under a car in a village near the location of Friday's attack on the bus.
The attack took place on the main road between Ramallah and Nablus in the northern West Bank, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Shilo, around 1:30 in the morning.
The settlers apparently laid in waiting for the bus of worshippers, then emerged fully-armed and throwing rocks.
Eight people injured by rocks and broken glass were taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.
Following the attack, the Israeli military closed the road, which is the main artery from the northern to the central West Bank, for more than two hours.
No one was arrested in the attack, and no investigation is being made into the incident. But Israeli soldiers have set up new checkpoints along the road, which is mainly used by Palestinians.
10 aug 2012
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired bullets and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors near the Ofer jail west of Ramallah on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that a number of Palestinians were treated for breathing difficulty after the IOF soldiers used teargas intensively to disperse them.
The demonstrators were demanding the immediate release of Ibrahim Abu Hajle, who was re-arrested after his release in the Wafa Al-Ahrar prisoners’ exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in October last year, the eyewitnesses said.
They said that participants also declared solidarity with all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that a number of Palestinians were treated for breathing difficulty after the IOF soldiers used teargas intensively to disperse them.
The demonstrators were demanding the immediate release of Ibrahim Abu Hajle, who was re-arrested after his release in the Wafa Al-Ahrar prisoners’ exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in October last year, the eyewitnesses said.
They said that participants also declared solidarity with all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns a shooting involving Palestine TV correspondent Nizar Al-Samodi in Jenin last nigh 9th Augustt, by an Israeli-registered car.
Al-Samodi told MADA that he was returning to his home in Jenin from Ramallah on Wednesday night when he arrived the crossroads known at 'Tormos Aya and Singel' at about 10:30pm. He said someone then fired a shot at him which hit the car mirror, only missing him by centimetres.
He added: "The bullet was fired by a white Israeli car with yellow number plates. I believe the goal was to kill me, but the shooter underestimated the speed of the car, so the bullet just missed me and broke the mirror of the car instead. I filed a complaint today with the Israeli military liaison office."
Al-Samodi told MADA that he was returning to his home in Jenin from Ramallah on Wednesday night when he arrived the crossroads known at 'Tormos Aya and Singel' at about 10:30pm. He said someone then fired a shot at him which hit the car mirror, only missing him by centimetres.
He added: "The bullet was fired by a white Israeli car with yellow number plates. I believe the goal was to kill me, but the shooter underestimated the speed of the car, so the bullet just missed me and broke the mirror of the car instead. I filed a complaint today with the Israeli military liaison office."
9 aug 2012
Jewish settlers opened fire at a Palestinian car on the Ramallah-Nablus road near Sinjil village on Wednesday night hitting the car but not the driver.
Radio Palestine said that its correspondent in Jenin Nizar Samoudi was driving his car when the settlers shot at him, adding that he barely survived.
The radio quoted Samoudi as saying that he was shot at while driving from Ramallah to his home in Yamon village in Jenin. He said that the bullets broke his car windows but he was not injured in the incident.
IOF soldiers storm Jenin, Jordan Valley
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed many Palestinian homes in Jenin province and Jordan Valley at dawn Thursday amidst reported clashes in western Jenin, local sources said.
They told the PIC reporter that IOF troops broke into many homes in four villages west of Jenin.
They said that the soldiers’ provocative acts in Yamun village market on Wednesday night led to clashes with young men in which soldiers fired live bullets and stun grenades to disperse the angry youths.
Other IOF units stormed Khirbat Al-Jammal hamlet in the northern Jordan Valley at dawn Thursday and searched Bedouin homes.
Aref Daraghme, the municipal council chairman in Wadi Al-Maleh and Bedouin tribes, said that the soldiers repeat such campaigns in a bid to terrorize Bedouins into leaving their areas and homes.
Wadi Al-Maleh is a frequent target of IOF raids aimed at forcing the Bedouins to abandon the area. The soldiers confiscate the Bedouins’ livestock and block water supplies to them.
Radio Palestine said that its correspondent in Jenin Nizar Samoudi was driving his car when the settlers shot at him, adding that he barely survived.
The radio quoted Samoudi as saying that he was shot at while driving from Ramallah to his home in Yamon village in Jenin. He said that the bullets broke his car windows but he was not injured in the incident.
IOF soldiers storm Jenin, Jordan Valley
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed many Palestinian homes in Jenin province and Jordan Valley at dawn Thursday amidst reported clashes in western Jenin, local sources said.
They told the PIC reporter that IOF troops broke into many homes in four villages west of Jenin.
They said that the soldiers’ provocative acts in Yamun village market on Wednesday night led to clashes with young men in which soldiers fired live bullets and stun grenades to disperse the angry youths.
Other IOF units stormed Khirbat Al-Jammal hamlet in the northern Jordan Valley at dawn Thursday and searched Bedouin homes.
Aref Daraghme, the municipal council chairman in Wadi Al-Maleh and Bedouin tribes, said that the soldiers repeat such campaigns in a bid to terrorize Bedouins into leaving their areas and homes.
Wadi Al-Maleh is a frequent target of IOF raids aimed at forcing the Bedouins to abandon the area. The soldiers confiscate the Bedouins’ livestock and block water supplies to them.
6 aug 2012
Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported that two residents were killed at midnight Sunday, and two others were injured, after their car crashed while being pursued by Israeli soldiers in Ar-Ramadeen area, near Ath-Thaheriyya town, south of Hebron.
Local sources reported that the residents were trying to drive into Israel, where they worked apparently without work permits, but the army noticed their vehicle and chased it.
One of the killed residents was identified as Jassem Hussein As-Safi, from Kharsa town, south of Hebron, one of the wounded was identified as Hatem As-Sayyad.
Local sources reported that the residents were trying to drive into Israel, where they worked apparently without work permits, but the army noticed their vehicle and chased it.
One of the killed residents was identified as Jassem Hussein As-Safi, from Kharsa town, south of Hebron, one of the wounded was identified as Hatem As-Sayyad.
The eastern outskirts of Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, came under heavy artillery shelling on the part of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday night.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that IOF troops fired more than 15 shells at the Gaza airport vicinity that exploded without causing any casualties.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, the health ministry’s public relations chief, said that no casualties were reported. He called on citizens to be careful.
Eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers fired 15 shells at the airport and Jaradat area, adding that Israeli helicopter gunships opened heavy machinegun fire at the airport and its vicinity.
They said that Palestinian resistance fighters retaliated by firing five mortar shells at Karm Abu Salem crossing.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that IOF troops fired more than 15 shells at the Gaza airport vicinity that exploded without causing any casualties.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, the health ministry’s public relations chief, said that no casualties were reported. He called on citizens to be careful.
Eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers fired 15 shells at the airport and Jaradat area, adding that Israeli helicopter gunships opened heavy machinegun fire at the airport and its vicinity.
They said that Palestinian resistance fighters retaliated by firing five mortar shells at Karm Abu Salem crossing.
Benny Gantz toured the scene of the attack
At least 15 Egyptian soldiers were killed, on Sunday evening, while several others were wounded, when gunmen attacked an Egyptian military base in Sinai.
The Israeli army also killed seven gunmen, allegedly Palestinian, who reportedly hijacked a military vehicle from the Egyptian military base and attempted to drive through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Israeli crossing.
The attack took place near border marker number 6, south of the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings.
Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen infiltrated into the Egyptian military base in the evening as Egyptian soldiers have just started eating following a long day of fasting as the Muslims are marking the holy month of Ramadan.
Egyptian military sources told the Palestinian Maan News Agency that “a major terrorist attack targeted an Egyptian military base near the Kerem Shalom Crossing”, and that “Jihadist groups, driving vehicles equipped with automatic weapons and RPG launchers, attacked the base, and managed to kidnap a number of Egyptian soldiers”, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, Israeli military sources claimed that the army “foiled an attempted attack by Palestinian gunmen who tried to infiltrate into Israel through the Kerem Shalom Crossing using the Egyptian military vehicles that were hijacked during the attack against the Egyptian military base”.
The sources added that four gunmen were killed when their hijacked armored vehicle exploded, while three more gunmen were killed when an Israeli missile struck their vehicle. The army sealed the area and scanned it searching for gunmen.
The army further instructed Israeli residents of nearby areas to refrain from leaving their homes, and to follow all instructions by the military.
The Israeli military deployed dozens of military vehicles and soldiers along the border area with Egypt and Gaza, while military helicopters conducted several flights searching for potential infiltrators.
An Israeli military spokesperson denied reports claiming that the gunmen managed to abduct Israeli soldiers, and claimed that the gunmen who attacked the Israeli military base “infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip”.
Also, Israel decided to close the Kerem Shalom Crossing until further notice, while Egypt decided to close the Rafah Border Terminal also until further notice.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli military vehicles, based east of the crossing, fired at least ten shells into areas in southern Gaza, and also fired dozens of flares around the crossing; no injuries were reported.
Furthermore, Lieutenant Safwat Az-Zayyat of the Egyptian army, denied Israeli reports claiming that the attack was carried out by jihadist groups, and said that “the escalation on the border was planned by Israel in order to cause rift between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and to destabilize the situation in Egypt”.
Egyptian President, Mohammad Morsi, called for an urgent meeting with the Egyptian Military Council, while Egypt’s Tourism Minister, Hisham Za’zou’, said that this attack was carried out to sabotage the Egyptian efforts to restore tourism in the country.
In a live statement after midnight, Morsi stated that the Egyptian army and the security forces have been instructed to pursue and apprehend the assailants, wherever they are, and said that “the killers, and anyone who helped them, will pay a heavy price for their crime”.
The Al-Jazeera news agency, based in Qatar, stated that Morsi also held a meeting with the Egyptian Defense Minister, Mohammad Tantawi, along with leaders of the Egyptian Military Council.
Also, an Egyptian security source said that the Egyptian army has the bodies of three assailants who were killed while trying to infiltrate into the Kerem Shalom Israeli Crossing.
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip denounced the attack against the Egyptian military base describing it as an “ugly and cowardice criminal attack”. It also sent its condolences to the families of the slain soldiers, the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people.
The Hamas-led government in Gaza, and several Palestinian factions, also strongly denounced the attack, and said that it “only serves the Israeli interests”.
On his Facebook page, Mousa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, strongly denounced the attack against the Egyptian military base, and hinted that Israel is behind the attack also hinting that the Israeli military killed the assailants to cover any tracks of Israeli involvement.
Abu Marzouq further stated that “this attack was carried out shortly after Israel started talking about the lack of security in Sinai, and after it issued warnings about a planned attack along the border area, in addition to instructing its residents not to head to Egypt.
Two days ago, Israel instructed all Israeli tourists to leave Sinai after receiving intelligence information about attacks “planned by Jihadist groups operating in Sinai”.
Barak, Netanyahu tour Kerem Shalom attack site
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have arrived at the Amitai base near the Egyptian border to visit the troops that thwarted the terror attack at the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Sunday night.
"You prepared and acted correctly," said Netanyahu. "I would like to express my condolences over the deaths of the Egyptian soldiers. Obviously Israel and Egypt have a common interest in keeping the border quiet."
Gantz on terror attack: 15 minutes from start to finish
Touring scene of Kerem Shalom crossing attack, army chief praises swift response, cooperation between forces. Egyptian official: Israel violated our sovereignty.
On the morning after the attack at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the IDF is patting itself on the back for its accurate intelligence and swift assassination of the terror cell which infiltrated Israel Sunday night.
With the threat to the border fence increasing daily, it is becoming apparent that diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Egypt is needed in order to halt the extremist Jihad terror cells in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt's new Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has stressed that he would work together with the Egyptian army and interior ministry to "avenge the blood of those killed."
On Monday Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz toured the scene of the attack with Brigadier General Tal Russo who reconstructed the events: "The vehicle met with an (IDF) force at every point it tried to infiltrate," he said speaking of the Egyptian armored vehicle stolen by the terrorists.
"There were quite a few clashes before (the vehicle) was destroyed. Armored forces, the Air Force and infantry forces closed in (on the vehicle) and eventually it was destroyed from the air and on the ground.
"Those who attempted to escape and fire at the forces after (the vehicle) was destroyed, were also eliminated," said Brigadier General Russo of the terrorists who tried to escape the armored vehicle.
"On the whole there was a great deal of cooperation together with excellent cooperation between the forces," he added.
Gantz added: "Before the debriefings are completed, I can see that a massive disaster was prevented – a very complex terror attack carried out by terrorists connected between Sinai and Gaza, in a very well carried out operation that combined the intelligence forces, Air Force, armored ground forces, infantry and the Shin Bet."
Rafah surrounded
According to the chief of staff, the handling of the incident was amazing in that the entire episode was over within 15 minutes and within that timeframe everyone integrated to work together seamlessly.
Meanwhile, Egyptian media reported that Egyptian army units have "completely surrounded" the city of Rafah (on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza) as part of the effort to apprehend suspects in the terror attack that killed 16 Egyptian policemen and injured about seven others Sunday evening, the Al-Ahram news outlet quoted a security official as saying.
In a report published on Al-Ahram's online edition Monday morning, the security source is quoted as saying that Egyptian army helicopters, accompanied by ground forces, have launched a manhunt for the suspects in the deadly attack on an Egyptian police station in the northern Sinai Peninsula, near the border with Israel.
The forces have surrounded Rafah to prevent the suspects from escaping, the report said.
Also Monday, Egypt's minister for parliamentary affairs Mohamed Mahsoub has demanded that the Sinai security arrangements be reexamined following the terror attack near the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Monday.
Mahsoub, who made the statement in a tweet, added that "Egypt would regain its honor on every centimeter of its land."
Hamdeen Sabahi, who placed third in the Egyptian presidential elections as the revolutionists' candidate, criticized Israel for attacking terrorists inside Egyptian territory. He said Israel acted with complete disregard for Egypt's sovereignty in the region.
Sabahi also called for a reexamination of Egypt's security arrangements with Israel, which he claimed was needed in order for Egypt to maintain full sovereignty over Sinai.
At least 15 Egyptian soldiers were killed, on Sunday evening, while several others were wounded, when gunmen attacked an Egyptian military base in Sinai.
The Israeli army also killed seven gunmen, allegedly Palestinian, who reportedly hijacked a military vehicle from the Egyptian military base and attempted to drive through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Israeli crossing.
The attack took place near border marker number 6, south of the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings.
Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen infiltrated into the Egyptian military base in the evening as Egyptian soldiers have just started eating following a long day of fasting as the Muslims are marking the holy month of Ramadan.
Egyptian military sources told the Palestinian Maan News Agency that “a major terrorist attack targeted an Egyptian military base near the Kerem Shalom Crossing”, and that “Jihadist groups, driving vehicles equipped with automatic weapons and RPG launchers, attacked the base, and managed to kidnap a number of Egyptian soldiers”, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, Israeli military sources claimed that the army “foiled an attempted attack by Palestinian gunmen who tried to infiltrate into Israel through the Kerem Shalom Crossing using the Egyptian military vehicles that were hijacked during the attack against the Egyptian military base”.
The sources added that four gunmen were killed when their hijacked armored vehicle exploded, while three more gunmen were killed when an Israeli missile struck their vehicle. The army sealed the area and scanned it searching for gunmen.
The army further instructed Israeli residents of nearby areas to refrain from leaving their homes, and to follow all instructions by the military.
The Israeli military deployed dozens of military vehicles and soldiers along the border area with Egypt and Gaza, while military helicopters conducted several flights searching for potential infiltrators.
An Israeli military spokesperson denied reports claiming that the gunmen managed to abduct Israeli soldiers, and claimed that the gunmen who attacked the Israeli military base “infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip”.
Also, Israel decided to close the Kerem Shalom Crossing until further notice, while Egypt decided to close the Rafah Border Terminal also until further notice.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli military vehicles, based east of the crossing, fired at least ten shells into areas in southern Gaza, and also fired dozens of flares around the crossing; no injuries were reported.
Furthermore, Lieutenant Safwat Az-Zayyat of the Egyptian army, denied Israeli reports claiming that the attack was carried out by jihadist groups, and said that “the escalation on the border was planned by Israel in order to cause rift between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and to destabilize the situation in Egypt”.
Egyptian President, Mohammad Morsi, called for an urgent meeting with the Egyptian Military Council, while Egypt’s Tourism Minister, Hisham Za’zou’, said that this attack was carried out to sabotage the Egyptian efforts to restore tourism in the country.
In a live statement after midnight, Morsi stated that the Egyptian army and the security forces have been instructed to pursue and apprehend the assailants, wherever they are, and said that “the killers, and anyone who helped them, will pay a heavy price for their crime”.
The Al-Jazeera news agency, based in Qatar, stated that Morsi also held a meeting with the Egyptian Defense Minister, Mohammad Tantawi, along with leaders of the Egyptian Military Council.
Also, an Egyptian security source said that the Egyptian army has the bodies of three assailants who were killed while trying to infiltrate into the Kerem Shalom Israeli Crossing.
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip denounced the attack against the Egyptian military base describing it as an “ugly and cowardice criminal attack”. It also sent its condolences to the families of the slain soldiers, the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people.
The Hamas-led government in Gaza, and several Palestinian factions, also strongly denounced the attack, and said that it “only serves the Israeli interests”.
On his Facebook page, Mousa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, strongly denounced the attack against the Egyptian military base, and hinted that Israel is behind the attack also hinting that the Israeli military killed the assailants to cover any tracks of Israeli involvement.
Abu Marzouq further stated that “this attack was carried out shortly after Israel started talking about the lack of security in Sinai, and after it issued warnings about a planned attack along the border area, in addition to instructing its residents not to head to Egypt.
Two days ago, Israel instructed all Israeli tourists to leave Sinai after receiving intelligence information about attacks “planned by Jihadist groups operating in Sinai”.
Barak, Netanyahu tour Kerem Shalom attack site
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have arrived at the Amitai base near the Egyptian border to visit the troops that thwarted the terror attack at the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Sunday night.
"You prepared and acted correctly," said Netanyahu. "I would like to express my condolences over the deaths of the Egyptian soldiers. Obviously Israel and Egypt have a common interest in keeping the border quiet."
Gantz on terror attack: 15 minutes from start to finish
Touring scene of Kerem Shalom crossing attack, army chief praises swift response, cooperation between forces. Egyptian official: Israel violated our sovereignty.
On the morning after the attack at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the IDF is patting itself on the back for its accurate intelligence and swift assassination of the terror cell which infiltrated Israel Sunday night.
With the threat to the border fence increasing daily, it is becoming apparent that diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Egypt is needed in order to halt the extremist Jihad terror cells in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt's new Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has stressed that he would work together with the Egyptian army and interior ministry to "avenge the blood of those killed."
On Monday Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz toured the scene of the attack with Brigadier General Tal Russo who reconstructed the events: "The vehicle met with an (IDF) force at every point it tried to infiltrate," he said speaking of the Egyptian armored vehicle stolen by the terrorists.
"There were quite a few clashes before (the vehicle) was destroyed. Armored forces, the Air Force and infantry forces closed in (on the vehicle) and eventually it was destroyed from the air and on the ground.
"Those who attempted to escape and fire at the forces after (the vehicle) was destroyed, were also eliminated," said Brigadier General Russo of the terrorists who tried to escape the armored vehicle.
"On the whole there was a great deal of cooperation together with excellent cooperation between the forces," he added.
Gantz added: "Before the debriefings are completed, I can see that a massive disaster was prevented – a very complex terror attack carried out by terrorists connected between Sinai and Gaza, in a very well carried out operation that combined the intelligence forces, Air Force, armored ground forces, infantry and the Shin Bet."
Rafah surrounded
According to the chief of staff, the handling of the incident was amazing in that the entire episode was over within 15 minutes and within that timeframe everyone integrated to work together seamlessly.
Meanwhile, Egyptian media reported that Egyptian army units have "completely surrounded" the city of Rafah (on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza) as part of the effort to apprehend suspects in the terror attack that killed 16 Egyptian policemen and injured about seven others Sunday evening, the Al-Ahram news outlet quoted a security official as saying.
In a report published on Al-Ahram's online edition Monday morning, the security source is quoted as saying that Egyptian army helicopters, accompanied by ground forces, have launched a manhunt for the suspects in the deadly attack on an Egyptian police station in the northern Sinai Peninsula, near the border with Israel.
The forces have surrounded Rafah to prevent the suspects from escaping, the report said.
Also Monday, Egypt's minister for parliamentary affairs Mohamed Mahsoub has demanded that the Sinai security arrangements be reexamined following the terror attack near the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Monday.
Mahsoub, who made the statement in a tweet, added that "Egypt would regain its honor on every centimeter of its land."
Hamdeen Sabahi, who placed third in the Egyptian presidential elections as the revolutionists' candidate, criticized Israel for attacking terrorists inside Egyptian territory. He said Israel acted with complete disregard for Egypt's sovereignty in the region.
Sabahi also called for a reexamination of Egypt's security arrangements with Israel, which he claimed was needed in order for Egypt to maintain full sovereignty over Sinai.
5 aug 2012
A Palestinian youth was killed and a number of others were wounded in an Israeli aerial raid on western Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, at noon Sunday.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that an Israeli reconnaissance plane fired at least one missile at a motorbike killing its driver instantly and wounding a number of passersby.
They said that the raid targeted fighters for the popular resistance committees.
Medical sources said that the martyr was 23-year-old Eid Hijazi.
Al-Shahniya: Israel's assassinations strengthen resistance
Israel's assassinations of resistance leaders strengthen the determination of fighters, a member of the central leadership of resistance committees in Gaza said Sunday.
Israel on Sunday killed a militant in a airstrike near Rafah in southern Gaza. Medics identified the victim as Abed Hijazi, a 22-year-old fighter affiliated with a fringe Salafi group.
Ayman al-Shahniya said such killings increased the strength and determination of fighters to continue resisting Israel's occupation.
"Our only strategic choice to communicate with the Israeli occupation will be through the barrel of a gun because what was taken by force can only be retaken by force and that's the path our martyrs have chosen," al-Shahniya added, during a visit to the families of fighters killed by Israel in Rafah.
He urged all Palestinians to support national unity and resistance.
Jewish settlers attack Palestinian vehicles near Ramallah
A gang of Jewish settlers threw rocks on Palestinian cars passing near a settlement outpost near Ramallah on Saturday night wounding a Palestinian man from 1948 occupied Palestine.
Hebrew media claimed that the settlers even threw stones at the Israeli police forces that arrived at the scene.
Three Palestinians were earlier wounded in a similar attack on a bus they were riding near Shilo settlement between Ramallah and Nablus.
The Israeli radio said in another report that Jewish settlers chopped off 15 olive trees owned by Palestinians near Shuweika village, Tulkarem province, and claimed that the Israeli army was investigating the incident.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that an Israeli reconnaissance plane fired at least one missile at a motorbike killing its driver instantly and wounding a number of passersby.
They said that the raid targeted fighters for the popular resistance committees.
Medical sources said that the martyr was 23-year-old Eid Hijazi.
Al-Shahniya: Israel's assassinations strengthen resistance
Israel's assassinations of resistance leaders strengthen the determination of fighters, a member of the central leadership of resistance committees in Gaza said Sunday.
Israel on Sunday killed a militant in a airstrike near Rafah in southern Gaza. Medics identified the victim as Abed Hijazi, a 22-year-old fighter affiliated with a fringe Salafi group.
Ayman al-Shahniya said such killings increased the strength and determination of fighters to continue resisting Israel's occupation.
"Our only strategic choice to communicate with the Israeli occupation will be through the barrel of a gun because what was taken by force can only be retaken by force and that's the path our martyrs have chosen," al-Shahniya added, during a visit to the families of fighters killed by Israel in Rafah.
He urged all Palestinians to support national unity and resistance.
Jewish settlers attack Palestinian vehicles near Ramallah
A gang of Jewish settlers threw rocks on Palestinian cars passing near a settlement outpost near Ramallah on Saturday night wounding a Palestinian man from 1948 occupied Palestine.
Hebrew media claimed that the settlers even threw stones at the Israeli police forces that arrived at the scene.
Three Palestinians were earlier wounded in a similar attack on a bus they were riding near Shilo settlement between Ramallah and Nablus.
The Israeli radio said in another report that Jewish settlers chopped off 15 olive trees owned by Palestinians near Shuweika village, Tulkarem province, and claimed that the Israeli army was investigating the incident.
A Jerusalemite child, a woman and dozens of young men were injured in violent clashes between inhabitants of Bab El-Amud in occupied Jerusalem and Israeli occupation police on Saturday night.
Local sources said that the clashes erupted after Jewish settlers insulted a number of Jerusalemite youths, adding that the Israeli police sided with the settlers and attacked the young men who retaliated throwing stones and vegetables at the policemen.
They said that the child and the woman were hospitalized while dozens of young men were hurt in the attack, adding that four young men were arrested by the police.
Local sources said that the clashes erupted after Jewish settlers insulted a number of Jerusalemite youths, adding that the Israeli police sided with the settlers and attacked the young men who retaliated throwing stones and vegetables at the policemen.
They said that the child and the woman were hospitalized while dozens of young men were hurt in the attack, adding that four young men were arrested by the police.
GUNMEN have killed 15 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing armoured vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.
President Mohamed Morsi has called an emergency meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces following the attack, the state broadcaster reported today.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 15 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen had hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they had killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that that incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
There were no Israeli civilians or soldiers wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians."
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai".
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it cited added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier today, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel has accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
Gunmen kill 16 Egypt border guards, enter Israel
Gunmen on Sunday killed 16 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing two armoured vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 16 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
President Mohamed Morsi called an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack, his spokesman Yasser Ali said.
Morsi, who only took the oath of office on June 30 to become the country's first freely elected leader and its first head of state since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year, said in a statement those behind the "cowardly" attack would pay it dearly.
"President Morsi says that this cowardly attack will not go without a response ... and that those who committed this crime will pay it dearly," said the statement, carried by the official MENA news agency.
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that the incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
No Israeli civilians or soldiers were wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians".
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai."
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier Sunday, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
The Sinai is home to Egypt's Red Sea resorts, a source of lucrative tourist income, and is also where the country's Bedouin, long marginalised under the regime of fallen strongman Mubarak, are based.
On July 19, gunmen believed to be Islamist militants shot dead two Egyptian soldiers in a dawn attack in north Sinai.
The attack came after Islamist militants distributed pamphlets calling on the army to leave the lawless north of the peninsula, where they had been brought in to restore security.
The attack was in Sheikh Zuwaid, a town roughly 15 kilometres (10 miles) west of the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip.
The military sent tanks and soldiers into the region last year to quell Islamist militants, after receiving permission from Israel. Under a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Egypt should have a limited military presence in the area.
Egyptian police killed in attack on Israeli border
Unidentified gunmen have attacked a checkpoint on the Egyptian-Israeli border, killing at least 15 Egyptian policemen, officials say.
Israel said the heavily armed attackers, in two vehicles, then tried to smash their way across the border.
One vehicle apparently blew up at the North Sinai crossing, while the other was destroyed by the Israeli air force.
It is not clear who carried out the raid. Egyptian state television blamed Islamist militants.
The country's state news agency quoted a top security official who said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had infiltrated from the Gaza Strip.
Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak said his country's security forces had "thwarted an attack that could have injured many".
"The militants' attack methods again raise the need for determined Egyptian action to enforce security and prevent terror in the Sinai," he said in a statement.
Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi held an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack.
In a statement read on state media, he described it as cowardly and said those behind it would "pay for it dearly".
He urged the authorities to take measures to "confront this serious challenge to Egyptian sovereignty and to protect Sinai from all armed groups".
At least seven other Egyptian policemen were wounded in the attack, security officials said. It is unclear how many militants were involved or how many were killed.
Security fears
Egyptian and Israeli forces say they are searching for any other gunmen who may have escaped. Israeli civilians in the area have been told to stay inside their homes.
The Rafah border crossing with Israel has shut indefinitely, Egyptian state television says.
The attack on the border post close to the Gaza Strip and Israel took place around sunset, just as the guards had stopped work for the traditional iftar meal, which breaks the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Masked gunmen dressed as bedouin opened fire on police with guns and rocket-propelled grenades before driving off with an armoured vehicle, Egyptian state television said.
In Israel a military spokeswoman said two vehicles had been taken at its Kerem Shalom crossing.
The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says the attack will be seen as more worrying evidence that Islamist militants have a firm foothold in the restive Northern Sinai region.
They have been blamed for several rocket attacks against Israel and a cross-border raid that killed nine Israelis last year.
Recently there have also been repeated attacks on the pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan. Last month two Egyptian soldiers were shot dead.
Egypt's military sent extra tanks and troops into the Sinai last year. The terms had to be agreed with Israel under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, our correspondent says.
Islamists Kill 15 Egyptians on Israeli Border
Islamists gunned down at least 15 Egyptian police officers and stole an army tank today in an attack on a Sinai police station close to the Israeli border, Reuters reports. Israeli aircraft responded by destroying a vehicle used by the attackers; another of their vehicles exploded at the North Sinai crossing, the BBC reports. It was the deadliest attack in the region in at least 20 years.
Israeli officials and Egyptian media blamed the attack on Islamist militants, a notion dismissed by Hamas in Gaza, AFP reports. The incident will likely force Israel and Egypt to engage diplomatically at a delicate time, when Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist, has just taken power. It could also strain Egypt's relations with Hamas if Palestinian gunmen are held responsible for the attack.
President Mohamed Morsi has called an emergency meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces following the attack, the state broadcaster reported today.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 15 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen had hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they had killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that that incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
There were no Israeli civilians or soldiers wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians."
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai".
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it cited added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier today, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel has accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
Gunmen kill 16 Egypt border guards, enter Israel
Gunmen on Sunday killed 16 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing two armoured vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.
An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.
The health ministry said 16 border guards were killed, while a security official said another seven were wounded.
The official MENA news agency said the gunmen were "jihadists" from inside the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
State television and MENA reported that Egypt was closing its Rafah frontier crossing with the Gaza Strip "until further notice".
President Mohamed Morsi called an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack, his spokesman Yasser Ali said.
Morsi, who only took the oath of office on June 30 to become the country's first freely elected leader and its first head of state since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year, said in a statement those behind the "cowardly" attack would pay it dearly.
"President Morsi says that this cowardly attack will not go without a response ... and that those who committed this crime will pay it dearly," said the statement, carried by the official MENA news agency.
In Israel, military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told reporters gunmen hijacked two vehicles from an Egyptian outpost where they killed between 10 and 15 border guards before crossing the frontier.
One of the vehicles exploded by itself and the other was destroyed from the air, and the Israeli military was searching for any remaining gunmen, she said.
She did not know how many had been on board the vehicles and if any had survived.
Israeli public radio said the vehicle had been targeted by a helicopter and that three "terrorists" on board had been killed.
Leibovich confirmed that the incident had taken place in the Kerem Shalom area.
"A few of the people who manned the vehicles started running away. We targeted them," she said.
Residents of the nearby Israeli communities had been ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice, she added.
No Israeli civilians or soldiers were wounded in the incident.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "the determined action of the military" and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet "for ensuring the failure of a large attack on Israeli civilians".
Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement: "The way these attackers acted again shows the need for the Egyptian authorities to act firmly to re-establish security and fight terrorism in the Sinai."
Leibovich said it was too early to determine the gunmen's affiliation or what they were trying to do, but "one of the assumptions is they were trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers".
MENA however identified the gunmen as "jihadists" from the Islamist-run Gaza Strip.
"Jihadist elements infiltrated from Gaza through tunnels in collaboration with jihadist elements in the Al-Mahdiya and Gabal Halal areas" inside Egypt, the agency said.
They "attacked a border post while the soldiers and officers were taking iftar," the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, it added, quoting an unidentified official.
Earlier Sunday, before MENA's report, Hamas in Gaza had dismissed the idea that militants from the Palestinian territory may have been involved.
"The border between Egypt and Gaza is protected. We closed the tunnels (used for smuggling) to prevent anyone from escaping (into Gaza) and we have put our forces on alert," an interior ministry spokesman said.
"We reject any idea that Gaza was involved in this incident and we send our condolences over the killing of Egyptian soldiers."
A Hamas statement said: "We condemn this ugly crime in which Egyptian soldiers were killed, and send our condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Egyptian leadership and the Egyptian people."
Sinai-based Islamist militants are believed to have been responsible for several rocket attacks against Israel.
Israel accused them of having carried out a cross-border ambush last year that killed nine Israelis, and they have also been blamed for regular bombings of a pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan.
The Sinai is home to Egypt's Red Sea resorts, a source of lucrative tourist income, and is also where the country's Bedouin, long marginalised under the regime of fallen strongman Mubarak, are based.
On July 19, gunmen believed to be Islamist militants shot dead two Egyptian soldiers in a dawn attack in north Sinai.
The attack came after Islamist militants distributed pamphlets calling on the army to leave the lawless north of the peninsula, where they had been brought in to restore security.
The attack was in Sheikh Zuwaid, a town roughly 15 kilometres (10 miles) west of the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip.
The military sent tanks and soldiers into the region last year to quell Islamist militants, after receiving permission from Israel. Under a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Egypt should have a limited military presence in the area.
Egyptian police killed in attack on Israeli border
Unidentified gunmen have attacked a checkpoint on the Egyptian-Israeli border, killing at least 15 Egyptian policemen, officials say.
Israel said the heavily armed attackers, in two vehicles, then tried to smash their way across the border.
One vehicle apparently blew up at the North Sinai crossing, while the other was destroyed by the Israeli air force.
It is not clear who carried out the raid. Egyptian state television blamed Islamist militants.
The country's state news agency quoted a top security official who said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had infiltrated from the Gaza Strip.
Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak said his country's security forces had "thwarted an attack that could have injured many".
"The militants' attack methods again raise the need for determined Egyptian action to enforce security and prevent terror in the Sinai," he said in a statement.
Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi held an emergency meeting with military and security officials after the attack.
In a statement read on state media, he described it as cowardly and said those behind it would "pay for it dearly".
He urged the authorities to take measures to "confront this serious challenge to Egyptian sovereignty and to protect Sinai from all armed groups".
At least seven other Egyptian policemen were wounded in the attack, security officials said. It is unclear how many militants were involved or how many were killed.
Security fears
Egyptian and Israeli forces say they are searching for any other gunmen who may have escaped. Israeli civilians in the area have been told to stay inside their homes.
The Rafah border crossing with Israel has shut indefinitely, Egyptian state television says.
The attack on the border post close to the Gaza Strip and Israel took place around sunset, just as the guards had stopped work for the traditional iftar meal, which breaks the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Masked gunmen dressed as bedouin opened fire on police with guns and rocket-propelled grenades before driving off with an armoured vehicle, Egyptian state television said.
In Israel a military spokeswoman said two vehicles had been taken at its Kerem Shalom crossing.
The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says the attack will be seen as more worrying evidence that Islamist militants have a firm foothold in the restive Northern Sinai region.
They have been blamed for several rocket attacks against Israel and a cross-border raid that killed nine Israelis last year.
Recently there have also been repeated attacks on the pipeline that exports gas to Israel and Jordan. Last month two Egyptian soldiers were shot dead.
Egypt's military sent extra tanks and troops into the Sinai last year. The terms had to be agreed with Israel under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, our correspondent says.
Islamists Kill 15 Egyptians on Israeli Border
Islamists gunned down at least 15 Egyptian police officers and stole an army tank today in an attack on a Sinai police station close to the Israeli border, Reuters reports. Israeli aircraft responded by destroying a vehicle used by the attackers; another of their vehicles exploded at the North Sinai crossing, the BBC reports. It was the deadliest attack in the region in at least 20 years.
Israeli officials and Egyptian media blamed the attack on Islamist militants, a notion dismissed by Hamas in Gaza, AFP reports. The incident will likely force Israel and Egypt to engage diplomatically at a delicate time, when Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist, has just taken power. It could also strain Egypt's relations with Hamas if Palestinian gunmen are held responsible for the attack.
4 aug 2012
Three young Palestinian girls were injured, and another three arrested, by Israeli police forces at Damascus Gate on Saturday 4 August.
Eyewitnesses state that confrontations erupted when Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian child during an argument between him and an Israeli settler at Damascus Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City. When the settler tried to hit the child, on-lookers attempted to intervene, prompting Israeli forces to step in.
A physical fight then broke out, with more Israeli special forces arriving and beating local Palestinians trying to protect the child, with clashes extending to Salah al-Din Street of East Jerusalem.
Witnesses report that an Israeli soldier was removed by paramedics when he was hit in the head with a stone. An Israeli settler and several young Palestinian men were also injured when they were assaulted. One man broke his leg while attempting to jump from a high wall.
Confrontations broke out several hours later when stones were thrown at an Israeli Eged bus and a Red Star of David ambulance, with the Damascus Gate roundabout shut down for a period of time.
Israeli police stated that five Israeli bus passengers were treated for their injuries at hospital.
Eyewitnesses state that confrontations erupted when Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian child during an argument between him and an Israeli settler at Damascus Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City. When the settler tried to hit the child, on-lookers attempted to intervene, prompting Israeli forces to step in.
A physical fight then broke out, with more Israeli special forces arriving and beating local Palestinians trying to protect the child, with clashes extending to Salah al-Din Street of East Jerusalem.
Witnesses report that an Israeli soldier was removed by paramedics when he was hit in the head with a stone. An Israeli settler and several young Palestinian men were also injured when they were assaulted. One man broke his leg while attempting to jump from a high wall.
Confrontations broke out several hours later when stones were thrown at an Israeli Eged bus and a Red Star of David ambulance, with the Damascus Gate roundabout shut down for a period of time.
Israeli police stated that five Israeli bus passengers were treated for their injuries at hospital.
1 aug 2012
Slaughterer Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested at dawn Wednesday three citizens from different areas in West Bank, and broke into the city of Salfit. IOF arrested Moaed Bashart, coordinator of projects in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in the province of Jericho, as part of an arrest campaign against a number of the Union staff.
The occupation forces also arrested Raed Riad Sweiti, 17, after raiding his home in the town of Beit Awa in Al-Khalil.
Moreover, Israeli troops raided houses in the same town, in search of a number of “wanted” young men.
Local sources confirmed that occupation forces arrested a citizen from Nablus during an incursion in the city at dawn.
Eyewitnesses said that dozens of military vehicles stormed the neighborhood of Ras Al-Ain in the city at dawn, raided the detainee’s family home and searched it.
They said that clashes ensued between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces that fired stun grenades and tear gas.
Meanwhile, a report has revealed that IOF launched widespread arrest campaigns during last month in the city of Al-Khalil including students, children, sick and old people, and liberated prisoners.
The report, issued by the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) in the city of Al-Khalil, revealed that the Israeli occupation arrested during the month of July, more than one hundred and fifty Palestinians, including twenty children, and imposed fines of about 12,500 dollars.
PPS quoted prisoners’ relatives as saying that their next of kin were subjected to torture during arrest operations, citing the case of the child Ahmed Ali Sweiti who was subjected to severe beating with his brothers during his arrest.
Meanwhile, a large occupation force estimated at nearly 200 soldiers and seventeen vehicles raided the house of the child Mohammed Saqr Sweiti, 13, who was severely beaten by soldiers.
The occupation forces also arrested Raed Riad Sweiti, 17, after raiding his home in the town of Beit Awa in Al-Khalil.
Moreover, Israeli troops raided houses in the same town, in search of a number of “wanted” young men.
Local sources confirmed that occupation forces arrested a citizen from Nablus during an incursion in the city at dawn.
Eyewitnesses said that dozens of military vehicles stormed the neighborhood of Ras Al-Ain in the city at dawn, raided the detainee’s family home and searched it.
They said that clashes ensued between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces that fired stun grenades and tear gas.
Meanwhile, a report has revealed that IOF launched widespread arrest campaigns during last month in the city of Al-Khalil including students, children, sick and old people, and liberated prisoners.
The report, issued by the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) in the city of Al-Khalil, revealed that the Israeli occupation arrested during the month of July, more than one hundred and fifty Palestinians, including twenty children, and imposed fines of about 12,500 dollars.
PPS quoted prisoners’ relatives as saying that their next of kin were subjected to torture during arrest operations, citing the case of the child Ahmed Ali Sweiti who was subjected to severe beating with his brothers during his arrest.
Meanwhile, a large occupation force estimated at nearly 200 soldiers and seventeen vehicles raided the house of the child Mohammed Saqr Sweiti, 13, who was severely beaten by soldiers.
The Israeli military attacked Palestinians in a funeral procession in the village of Beit Ummar north of Hebron on Tuesday.
Yousef Abu Maria, spokesperson for the National Committee Against the Wall in Beit Ummar told WAFA news that Israeli occupation forces attacked while the funeral procession was heading to a cemetery located on the main road between Hebron and Jerusalem.
The Palestine News Network reported that Israeli forces fired tear gas and sound bombs at the Palestinians and chased young people at the entrance to the village at al-Aseda area.
Yousef Abu Maria, spokesperson for the National Committee Against the Wall in Beit Ummar told WAFA news that Israeli occupation forces attacked while the funeral procession was heading to a cemetery located on the main road between Hebron and Jerusalem.
The Palestine News Network reported that Israeli forces fired tear gas and sound bombs at the Palestinians and chased young people at the entrance to the village at al-Aseda area.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided central Gaza Strip areas to the east of Breij and Maghazi refugee camps on Wednesday, local sources said.
They told Quds Press that IOF soldiers in a number of tanks and armored vehicles advanced 400 meters into Palestinian land and opened heavy machinegun fire at Palestinian residential quarters.
They said that Palestinian resistance fighters fired a number of mortar shells at the invading force and an exchange of fire ensued with no casualties reported.
The raid coincided with IOF shelling of a number of others areas in Gaza.
Local sources told the PIC that IOF soldiers stationed at Kissufim military outpost fired at Palestinian land and neighborhoods to the east of Qarara town near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in addition to areas near Deir Al-Balah town in central Gaza.
Soldiers manning military watchtowers to the north of Beit Hanun, in northern Gaza, opened fire at areas in the vicinity of Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing.
Palestinian fishermen working off the northern Gaza coast also came under Israeli navy fire. No casualties were suffered.
They told Quds Press that IOF soldiers in a number of tanks and armored vehicles advanced 400 meters into Palestinian land and opened heavy machinegun fire at Palestinian residential quarters.
They said that Palestinian resistance fighters fired a number of mortar shells at the invading force and an exchange of fire ensued with no casualties reported.
The raid coincided with IOF shelling of a number of others areas in Gaza.
Local sources told the PIC that IOF soldiers stationed at Kissufim military outpost fired at Palestinian land and neighborhoods to the east of Qarara town near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in addition to areas near Deir Al-Balah town in central Gaza.
Soldiers manning military watchtowers to the north of Beit Hanun, in northern Gaza, opened fire at areas in the vicinity of Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing.
Palestinian fishermen working off the northern Gaza coast also came under Israeli navy fire. No casualties were suffered.
Israeli soldiers stationed along the borders with the Gaza Strip Wednesday opened heavy artillery fire at Palestinian houses and farms in several areas in the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian property east of Khan Younis and in Beit Hanoun, a town north of the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces accompanied with bulldozers stormed under heavy gunfire areas east of al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza.
The bulldozers razed vast areas of land and put up earth mounds in the area.
Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian property east of Khan Younis and in Beit Hanoun, a town north of the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces accompanied with bulldozers stormed under heavy gunfire areas east of al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza.
The bulldozers razed vast areas of land and put up earth mounds in the area.
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