Palestinians examining the remains of a house demolished by the IDF in Beit Hanoun on Monday.
Posted on 02/24/2003 11:29:32 AM PST by Cinnamon Girl
The body of a Palestinian man was found Monday in the rubble of house in a Gaza town demolished the day before by IDF troops, hours after the soldiers withdrew to the outskirts of the northern Gaza town.
The withdrawal brought to an end a two-day operation aimed at destroying terrorist infrastructure beloning to the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Palestinians examining the remains of a house demolished by the IDF in Beit Hanoun on Monday.
Rescue workers pulled out the body of Abdullah Al-Saba, 52, from the house of his brother, which like his own home next door, was destroyed by troops Sunday. They said it took them two hours to dismantle the explosives belt he was wearing.
Nine Palestinians, including at least one civilian, were killed during the operation, which was ordered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in an effort to end the firing of Qassam rockets at the nearby Israeli town of Sderot.
Al-Saba's son was killed Friday trying to attack at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Both father and son were members of the militant Islamic Jihad organization, neighbors said.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that IDF operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would continue, as Israel is still receiving intelligence reports on planned attacks.
PFLP takes responsibility
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine took responsibility for the shooting Sunday of Sergeant Doron Lev, 19, from Holon.
The preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sniper attack Sunday in which a IDF soldier died of a single shot in the back has revealed that he was not wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time.
The soldier, 19-year-old Sergeant Doron Lev from Holon, was shot and killed on Sunday morning, after a lone Palestinian gunman opened fire at an army position in the southern Gaza Strip. Information regarding the attack was only released for publication later in the day, after the soldier's family had been notified of his death.
Military sources reported that the soldier was taking supplies to soldiers in the guardtower at the Gaza division headquarters near Khan Yunis. The soldier was critically wounded, and a team of paramedics at the base provided emergency first aid before evacuating him to Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva. His condition continued to deteriorate, however, and he died a short time later. Lev will be laid to rest at 3:30 P.M. on Tuesday at the military cemetery in Holon.
A a paratroop unit operating in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank arrested Siad and Nabil Mabruka on Monday morning, on suspicion that they were operated the explosive factory uncovered in Nablus last week. The two are members of the militant Hamas group and have been on the IDF's list of wanted terror suspects for some time.
Also Monday, the IDF arrested four Tanzim activists in Balata, on suspicion of orchestrating and carrying out a series of shooting attacks and of planting roadside bombs in the territories.
Elsewhere, troops arrested a Palestinian near Tul Karm, on suspicion of planning to carry out a suicide mission inside Israel.
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