GAZA/ WEST BANK: Hamas' Haniyeh condemns Israeli Nablus raid, militants wow to avenge as Hamas supporters demonstrate against Israel.
Record ID:
858692
GAZA/ WEST BANK: Hamas' Haniyeh condemns Israeli Nablus raid, militants wow to avenge as Hamas supporters demonstrate against Israel.
- Title: GAZA/ WEST BANK: Hamas' Haniyeh condemns Israeli Nablus raid, militants wow to avenge as Hamas supporters demonstrate against Israel.
- Date: 24th February 2006
- Summary: WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH MASKED GUNMEN
- Embargoed: 11th March 2006 12:00
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- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVADUE032MWY8FYFUD7UG2OCPM84
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- Story Text: Palestinian designated Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh condemned on Thursday (February 23) the Israeli raid on the West Bank town of Nablus and Gaza's militant groups said they will take revenge after Israeli troops killed eight Palestinians during the biggest raid against militants for months.
"What is happening in Nablus is an odium on the forehead of this occupation which continues this aggressive policy, which is aimed to effuse the Palestinian blood in the behalf of the Israeli elections. Our Palestinian people will never give up in front of this continual aggression," Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza city.
Later in Gaza, thousands of Hamas supporters took the streets to demonstrate in protest against the Israeli raid which began five days ago.
In a joint news conference, armed militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Islamic Jihad said they would launch missiles against Israel in retaliation for the deadly raid in Nablus.
"Revenge is coming, we will target the Zionist enemy through rockets, bombs and martyrdom attacks," said a masked militant calling himself abu-Said during a news conference in Gaza city.
"The al-Aqsa rockets will reach the depth of Israel and we will launch wave after wave of attacks," he added.
On Thursday -- the fifth day of the biggest raid against West Bank militants for months -- Israeli troops killed five Palestinians.
Medics said three gunmen were among the dead in Nablus on Thursday. Two other men were shot dead when Palestinians confronted troops with stones and petrol bombs.
The army said its forces had opened fire when they came under attack as they tried to arrest wanted militants planning to strike Israel. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded.
The latest deaths in Nablus took the toll to eight over five days. It was the deadliest raid into the occupied West Bank since mid-2005.
Clashes began in Nablus on Thursday after the army expanded the scope of its operation from Balata refugee camp, on the outskirts, into the city centre, blocking main roads and forcing schools and some businesses to close.
An Israeli military official in Jerusalem said troops were searching for militants suspected of involvement in planning suicide bombings and other attacks.
"For the past five days we are on 'Northern Glow' operation in the city of Nablus and in Balata refugee camp. During the course of the operation we are targeting terror organisations across the city. The city of Nablus had lately became a haven for many of the terrorist organisations," Lieutenant Colonel Nimrod, the commander of a paratrooper battalion which is taking part in the operation.
The main targets of the raid have been Islamic Jihad, which carried out two suicide bombings in Israel in recent months, and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group that is part of the mainstream Fatah movement.
More than two dozen militants have been arrested in the West Bank since the Israeli operation began on Saturday, military sources said. Palestinians said more than 50 people had been injured during confrontations. jrs/jrc - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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