Israel kills 13 Palestinians in Gaza, resistance vows retaliation
In a statement, Ezz Eddine al-Qassam group, the military wing of the Hamas movement called on its military cells to carry out large "suicide operations" inside Israel, in retaliation to killing of 13 Palestinians in Gaza.
Meantime, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine also vowed a painful answer to this massacre ,and in a statement, it held "Sharon's government responsible for the results of its bloody and brutal actions."
The front appealed the UN and the international community to immediately interfere to halt what its described as the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against unarmed Palestinians in Gaza.
For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement condemned Gaza massacre and called on the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmad Qurei' not to meet with his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon.
The leading figure in the movement Muhammad al-Hindi said that the Israeli talks about withdrawal from Gaza and evacuating its settlements is a mirage, stressing continued resistance until the liberation of all Palestinian spoils.
The Palestinian authority strongly condemned the Israeli massacre in Gaza and announced it will file an urgent complain to the UN Security Council to halt the occupation crimes. Nabil Abu Rudinah, advisor for the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said that the Palestinian President and Palestinian leadership "strongly condemn this Israeli massacre in Gaza and Rafah" holding Israel responsible for the escalation which "aims at damaging the efforts exerted at the Arab or international levels."
The number of Palestinians who were killed by the Israeli army in al- Shuja'eyah quarters to the east of Gaza tolled 13 after the killing of another Palestinian ( 20 year old). The medical sources did not disclose his identity.
Palestinian witnesses said that a force from the Israeli special forces backed by tanks incurred into the said quarters, and opened fire at a check point for the Palestinian police, and killed Kamel Abu Ormaneh ( 22 year old) a member of the Palestinian border security men, Ismael Abu al-Atta ( 22 year old) and Haitham Abed ( 28 year old ), all of them are from al-Shuja'eyah.
Medical sources said that among other Palestinian martyrs in the operation are Muhammad Halas ( 17 year old), son of Ahmad Halas, the secretary of the Fatah Movement, Hani Abu Suheilah ( 27 year old) and Mahdi Zeideyah ( 28 year old), Akram Aqilin and Amer al-Ghammari.
Witnesses and medical sources said that 42 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes, several of them are in a critical health situation.
One Palestinian was killed and other 7 wounded in al-Shouhoud quarters in Rafah in another incursion for the occupation forces. The Israeli army said that the soldiers were exposed to fire while they were searching for tunnels for smuggling weapons.
On the other hand, the Israeli forces detained 19 Palestinians from various parts in Gaza on Tuesday evening. Among the detainees are five from Jenin including one woman and the others are from Nablus, Toulkarem, Ramullah and al-Khali.