Posted on 04/06/2002 11:57:04 PM PST by kattracks
Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Shaul Mofaz told Sunday morning's weekly cabinet meeting that 11 IDF soldiers and 200 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's 10-day campaign in Palestinian-controlled cities in the West Bank.
Mofaz added that 143 soldiers and 1,500 Palestinians have been injured so far in the operation, known as 'Defensive Wall'.
IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ron Kitrey said Sunday that the Israeli operation in Jenin could end by Sunday night.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Kitrey said that while the IDF had not received any order to hasten its operations in the West Bank, and was pushing ahead with its efforts to destroy the terror infrastructure, the army's goals in Jenin could be accomplished by Sunday night.
Kitrey said that the operations in Jenin and Nablus were time-consuming and dangerous, mainly due to high concentrations of civilian population.
"We are working methodically and slowly to avoid injuring innocent civilians. We believe that the time is close when we can say that the operation in Jenin has been completed. We hoped it would have happened sooner, but these things take time."
Kitrey also said that the Gaza Strip could also be a target for Israeli operations
The next time they decide to make a move, they're going to sweep Gaza clean, every inch of it, and take prisoner/kill all of the terrorist leaders operating there. The two strikes combined will break the back of the Intifada. Without leaders and "engineers" (bomb-makers) the Palestinians won't be able to really fight.
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