Israeli Occupation Army Assassinates Fighter In Gaza, Barak Vows Further Assassinations

Wednesday January 12, 2011 00:01 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported Tuesday evening that a Palestinian fighter was assassinated and another resident was injured in an Israeli Air Strike targeting the fighter in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

The fighter, who was riding his motorcycle when a missile fired by the Israeli occupation ai forces struck him, was identified as Jamil Al Najjar, 25. He was identified as a member of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad.

Al-Quds Brigades vowed retaliation and stated that its retaliation’s time and place will be determined in time.

The Israeli occupation army confirmed the assassination and claimed that Al-Najjar was planning “a major attack in Israel”.

The so-called Israeli occupation government defense minister, Ehud Barak, stated during a visit to the Kissufim military base, near the Gaza border, that Israel will not hesitate in “retaliating” to any attack, and added; “Hamas and the Islamic Jihad should not test Israel”.

Barak added that should Hamas and the Islamic Jihad choose to test Israel, the army – the Southern Command, will retaliate, and “there will be more casualties on the Palestinian side”.

(But this was a pre-emptive strike, not retaliation, as the fighter was riding his bike, not doing anything against Israeli occupation forces).

Israeli Ynet News reported that a homemade shell was fired from Gaza into an open area south of Eshkol causing no damage or injuries.

Meanwhile, the Hamas movement in Gaza urged resistance groups to stop the firing of homemade shells into Israel.

The Hamas Movement spokesperson, Taher Al-Nunu, stated that the ceasefire has been in place since two years, and that the Movement is interested in maintaining it as “it serves the interests of the Palestinian people, and prevents Israeli attacks on Gaza”.

Israeli warplanes in fresh strikes on Gaza

Published today (updated) 12/01/2011 14:28

 GAZA CITY (AFP) --

The Israeli occupation air force planes resumed its recent series of air strikes in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli occupation government so-called prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned of the consequences if Palestinian rocket fire continued.

The first air strikes on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed a fighter of the Islamic Jihad and wounded another man, Palestinian sources said.

The Israeli occupation forces confirmed the attack.

Adham Abu Selmiya, spokesman for the Hamas-run health services in the Gaza Strip, named the dead man as 25-year-old Muhammed Jamil Al-Najar.

Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad militant group, said Al-Najar was a member and pledged revenge for the attack.

Later raids hit three sites used by Hamas security forces south of Gaza City and a training base of the Islamic Jihad group in Khan Younis, but caused no further casualties, Hamas officials and eyewitnesses said early Wednesday.

The Hamas facilities housed offices of the Hamas National Security Service and its naval wing, they said.

The Hamas government of the Gaza Strip have said that they do not want another war, and have called on militant groups in the coastal enclave to avoid provoking a new confrontation.

Mizan: Israel imposing security buffer zone inside Gaza

[ 12/01/2011 - 09:16 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Mizan human rights center in Gaza said Tuesday that the Israeli occupation forces are trying to forcefully impose a security buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip and target civilians.

The rights group said it strongly condemned Israel's continued restriction of access to Palestinians living on the Gaza border to their land and the deliberate assassination of some civilians as a serious violation of international law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to civilian protection at times of war.

According to Mizan center's field investigations, Israeli troops opened sudden fire Monday afternoon at Sha'ban Qarmout, a farmer in Beit Hanoun city, while he was working on his 7,000 square meter farm, after a prevalent calm in the area that followed the departure of a foreign delegation.

The Gaza Ministry of Agriculture, for its part, said the Qarmout execution "shows the seriousness of the Israeli plan to establish a buffer zone to force Palestinian families out of their farms and homes on the eastern and northern borders of the Gaza Strip."

Zahhar: Israeli threats to test resistance's reaction

[ 12/01/2011 - 03:21 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a political bureau member of Hamas, said that the Israeli threats to invade the Gaza Strip were meant to test the reaction of resistance.

He said in a press release on Wednesday that the threats also aim at reassuring the illegal Israeli settlers of their army's deterrence.

Referring to the rockets being fired from Gaza, Zahhar said that armed wings of the resistance factions fire mortar shells at the Israeli occupation army troops who raid the Gaza Strip, describing the act as self defense.