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<b>Palestinians blow up army outpost in carefully orchestrated
attack<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#FF8040"><i>2004/6/28<br>
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, AP<br><br>
<br>
</i></b></font><font size=3>_ Israeli helicopters fired 10 missiles at
two metal workshops in Gaza City early Monday, just hours after
Palestinian militants blew up an Israeli army outpost in the heart of the
Gaza Strip. <br><br>
<b>In the carefully orchestrated attack on the outpost, militants dug a
350-meter (1,000-foot) tunnel under concrete fortifications, and
detonated what they said were hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of
explosives. The blast brought down a building and wounded at least five
Israeli soldiers, including one who was in critical condition after being
trapped in the outpost for more than an hour. <br><br>
</b>Ambulances came under Palestinian fire as they evacuated the wounded.
Israeli troops fired from machine guns and tanks, killing a Palestinian
police officer and a 15-year-old boy in a nearby village, medics said.
<br><br>
<b>Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility, saying
they were avenging leaders and key activists killed by Israeli in recent
months, including seven shot dead in the West Bank over the weekend.
<br><br>
</b>The outpost attack came as Egypt was trying to broker a cease-fire
between Israel and the militants ahead of a planned Israeli withdrawal
from Gaza. It seemed unlikely the blast would disrupt a pullback. Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said he's determined to go ahead with a
plan he believes is crucial for Israel's security. <br><br>
However, more violence is expected in the time leading up to the pullout,
to be completed by the end of 2005. The militants want to step up attacks
so they can portray the withdrawal as a hasty retreat by Israel. The
military, in turn, hopes to strike hard at the armed groups to prevent
any gloating and weaken their ability to attack Israel after a pullback.
<br><br>
The explosion went off shortly before 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) Sunday, at an
army outpost at the Gush Katif junction, near Gaza's largest bloc of
Israeli settlements. The outpost is protected by reinforced concrete.
<br><br>
Militants said they dug a 350-meter (1,000-foot) tunnel to reach the
outpost. In a videotaped claim of responsibility, Al Aqsa said it used
1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) of explosives, though in an earlier phone
call to The Associated Press, the group said 150 kilograms (330 pounds)
were used. <br><br>
"This is a message to Sharon that ... our fighters will continue the
holy struggle until we uproot them (Israelis) from our land," said
an Al Aqsa spokesman, who only gave his name as Abu Mohammed. <br><br>
Hamas said the explosion came as revenge for Israel's assassination of
the group's founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, in March, and of his successor,
Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a month later. <br><br>
In Gaza City, about 2,000 people rushed into the streets to celebrate,
among them about 100 armed men. <br><br>
Early Monday, Israeli helicopters fired 10 missiles at two metal
workshops in Gaza City, setting off fires and causing damage, but no
major injuries. The army said the workshops were used by Hamas and other
militants to make weapons, including homemade rockets. <br><br>
The Arab satellite TV station Al Jazeera reported that five Israeli
soldiers were killed in the outpost attack. Israel's military censor does
not permit reporting on the deaths of soldiers until families have been
notified. However, security officials suggested Al Jazeera's figure was
too high. <br><br>
The army said five soldiers were wounded, including one critically.
<br><br>
Brig. Gen. Shmuel Zakai, an Israeli army commander in Gaza, noted that it
must have taken weeks to dig the tunnel. He said the base was targeted in
the past, including by a car bomb. <br><br>
Palestinian militants have used tunnels in the past, once to attack an
Israeli outpost in southern Gaza and also to smuggle weapons from Egypt
to Gaza. <br><br>
Earlier Sunday, in the West Bank, militants threatened revenge for seven
armed men killed by Israel on Saturday in the city of Nablus. Among the
dead was Nayef Abu Sharkh, 45, the West Bank's top fugitive and an Al
Aqsa founder. <br><br>
END<br><br>
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