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Fifteen Palestinians killed in Gaza clashes
By: Ibrahim Barzak — The Associated Press
Issue date: 2/12/04 Section: News
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops rode tanks into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday searching for Islamic militants firing rockets at nearby Jewish settlements, and the ensuing battle left at least 15 Palestinians dead and more than 50 wounded.
The fiercest fighting occurring in the Shajaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City. Twelve people were killed and more than 40 were wounded, Palestinian doctors said.
Later Wednesday, Hamas vowed retaliation. The group's militant wing called on all of its cells to carry out ''huge martyrdom operations,'' saying ''all options are open.''
In a separate raid in the Rafah area along the Gaza-Egypt border, troops killed three Palestinians as they searched for arms-smuggling tunnels.
The forces demolished three houses and razed citrus and olive groves.
The fighting in Gaza City erupted before dawn and continued for several hours. The army and Palestinian residents said the troops pulled out by early afternoon.
During the fighting, dozens of young men stood in the streets watching as gunfire whizzed by. Masked gunmen took up positions in front of a building and ordered civilians out of the area. At one point, a gunman picked up a young schoolboy by his backpack and whisked him out of the battle zone.
Later in the day, the army blew up the house of a Hamas militant who was killed and sent tanks into the neighborhood.
The dead Palestinians included 10 militants, Palestinian sources said.
At least nine of the wounded were in critical condition, doctors said. The wounded included at least three young bystanders, witnesses and doctors said.
The military said the fighting broke out after anti-tank missiles were fired at its tanks.
''There was great resistance by armed cells in a very densely populated area,'' said Col. Yoel Strick, a division commander in the Gaza Strip.
There were no reports of Israeli casualties.
After the fighting subsided, three small rockets were fired into Israel, causing no damage, Israel Army radio reported.
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