GAZA/ISRAEL: PALESTINIANS HAND OVER REMAINS OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED BY LANDMINE.

Record ID: 400059

  • Title: GAZA/ISRAEL: PALESTINIANS HAND OVER REMAINS OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED BY LANDMINE.
  • Date: 13th May 2004
  • Summary: (W1) GAZA CITY (MAY 13, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) PALESTINIAN MILITANT MAKING STATEMENT, SAYING: "The Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Brigades announce their willingness to hand over the body parts of the Zionist soldiers which we hold in order to achieve our goals. This was decided following dialogue wit the Egyptian intelligence and the Palestinia
  • Embargoed: 28th May 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GAZA CITY, GAZA/EREZ BORDER BETWEEN GAZA AND ISRAEL
  • City:
  • Country: Gaza Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVAARTR49LPTNWK9VSJQFXNHOSKH
  • Story Text: Palestinians hand over the remains of Israeli
    soldiers killed earlier in the week.



    Palestinians handed over the remains of Israeli
    soldiers to Israeli authorities on Thursday (May13) at the
    Erez border between Gaza and Israel.

    The six Israeli servicemen died on Tuesday when their
    armoured vehicle hit a landmine during a raid in a militant
    stronghold in Gaza City.

    In a statement read out on videotape, masked militants
    said: "The Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Brigades announce
    their willingness to hand over the body parts of the
    Zionist soldiers which we hold in order to achieve our
    goals. This was decided following dialogue wit the Egyptian
    intelligence and the Palestinian Authority. The following
    agreements were made: stop the Zionist aggression and
    withdraw Israeli troops from Zeitoun neighbourhood."
    Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza neighbourhood
    early on Thursday in what Palestinian sources said was an
    Egyptian-mediated deal under which militants returned
    soldiers' remains.

    On Wednesday, Palestinian security sources said
    militants had agreed to turn over the remains of the six
    soldiers killed in Gaza City if Israeli forces withdrew
    first. They initially demanded Israel free Palestinian
    prisoners too.

    Just after midnight (2100 GMT), Israeli forces pulled
    out out of Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood, signalling
    that a deal had been worked out between the two sides.

    Palestinian security officials later handed over the
    soldiers' remains to Israel at a checkpoint north of Gaza,
    after militants had surrendered them to Egyptian mediators.

    Israel had said troops would stay put until the bodies
    were recovered for a proper burial according to Jewish
    tradition and repeated it would do no deals with
    "terrorists". The army would not comment on the handover of
    the remains but acknowledged it had completed its mission
    to retrieve them.




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