Israeli helicopters launched two attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night, killing at least six people. Earlier, at least four other Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Gaza Strip
An IsraelI helicopter fired a missile at a car traveling in Gaza City early Tuesday evening, killing two persons. An hospital official identified the two victims as Bashir al Dibsh, 42, and Zarif al Ara'ir. Three other Palestinians were wounded in this Israeli attack. Palestinian sources said al Dibsh was a senior commander in the Islamic Jihad military wing - the Jerusalem Brigades.
Hours later, another Israeli raid killed at least four Palestinians to the east of Jabalya refugee camp. Palestinian sources identified two victims as Musa Darwish and his brother Kamal.
An Israeli air strike launched early on Tuesday in northern Gaza Strip killed one Palestinian and injured two others, locals said.
An Israeli military source said the attack targeted a group of "armed men" in Jabalya refugee camp, and that three of them were hit. Locals said the victim Abed Dardona was killed from missile shrapnel all over his body. Another Palestinian died of wounds he sustained two days ago when Israeli tank targeted a group of men in the Jabalya camp, residents said. They added that Hussam al-Ras, 20, died of severe wounds he sustained all over his body.
In addition, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli troops south of the Gaza Strip settlement bloc of "Gush Katif."
In addition, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli soldiers Tuesday morning not far from a military post near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to WAFA, Eman al-Hams was hit while she was going to school. It that Eman was carrying her bag and dressed in school uniform when she was riddled by bullets.
The little girl bled to death as Israelis prevented Palestinian paramedics from evacuating her, according to witnesses and medics.
Ali Mossa, director of Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, said that Eman was shot with at least 20 bullets in the head, neck and different parts of the body. Israeli occupation forces handed the body of Eman to the Palestinian side after keeping it for more than two hours.
West Bank
Elsewhere, in the West Bank, occupation troops killed an activist of al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah Movement. According to Palestinian sources, Musa al-Jebary, 45, a resident of Sa'eer, was shot dead north to the city of Hebron. Palestinian sources said that al-Jebary was wanted by the occupation intelligence for more than a year.
UN
Meanwhile, Arab states demanded in a draft UN Security Council resolution late Monday that Israel immediately stop its attack in the northern Gaza Strip, where Israeli fire has left about 80 Palestinians dead.
During the debate, the United States indicated it would veto a resolution condemning Israel for its military acts. In his remarks, the American envoy, John Danforth said another resolution was "one more step on the road to nowhere," and admonished the council, adding it "acts as the adversary of the Israelis and cheerleader to the Palestinians."
"That is not the way to peace. That is not the road map to peace," Danforth said.
On his part, Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinians' UN observer, dismissed Israeli claims that the massive military action was a justified response to the firing of Palestinian rockets from Gaza Strip to the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Wednesday.
"These forces deliberately destroyed just about everything in their way, including nurseries and grammar schools," Al-Kidwa said. "Now there are hundreds of Palestinians without shelter as a result of that total demolition or partial demolition of their homes, tens of thousands without water or electricity and suffering from severe shortages of food and medicine, precipitating a genuine humanitarian tragedy," he said.
"There is absolutely no justification for this Israeli hysteria, this widespread killing...there is no justification for this state terrorism," Al-Kidwa noted. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
