Spoetnik
25-09-04, 15:59
Israeli army bulldozers have torn down the homes of more than 200 Palestinians in the Gaza refugee camp of Khan Yunis, United Nations aid officials say.
The Israeli military says the operation - a day after mortars fired from Khan Yunis killed a Jewish settler - targeted buildings used by militants.
An Israeli missile strike on the camp overnight killed a Palestinian man.
The violence comes amid tight security as Israelis commemorate Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
No refuge
The Israeli operation in Khan Yunis began with the missile strike. The Israelis said it targeted militants but Palestinians said a 55-year-old civilian was killed.
Shortly after midnight Israeli troops, tanks and bulldozers moved into Khan Yunis and began tearing down buildings.
The UN agency which cares for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said 60 families - around 230 people in total - had lost their houses or shelters.
One man said he ran with his children as the bulldozers closed in and gunfire sounded in the darkness.
"We were forced to leave the house under intensive shooting from the sky and from tanks," father of four Fathi Zaroub told the Associated Press.
"We took nothing from our belongings. We ran away in our pyjamas and we have no other refuge."
But the Israeli army said the UN's figures for the scale of the destruction were exaggerated and all the buildings destroyed were uninhabited structures used by Palestinian militants for shelling the settlement of Neve Dekalim.
The BBC's Alan Johnston, in Gaza City, says it is not possible for journalists to visit the scene and see for themselves because the Israelis have shut the checkpoint on the road to Khan Yunis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3689104.stm
Het is Yom Kippur in Israel, dus de Israelische bevolking is met andere zaken bezig dan het Palestijnse conflict. Kortom, ideaal moment om mensen dakloos te maken.
The Israeli military says the operation - a day after mortars fired from Khan Yunis killed a Jewish settler - targeted buildings used by militants.
An Israeli missile strike on the camp overnight killed a Palestinian man.
The violence comes amid tight security as Israelis commemorate Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
No refuge
The Israeli operation in Khan Yunis began with the missile strike. The Israelis said it targeted militants but Palestinians said a 55-year-old civilian was killed.
Shortly after midnight Israeli troops, tanks and bulldozers moved into Khan Yunis and began tearing down buildings.
The UN agency which cares for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said 60 families - around 230 people in total - had lost their houses or shelters.
One man said he ran with his children as the bulldozers closed in and gunfire sounded in the darkness.
"We were forced to leave the house under intensive shooting from the sky and from tanks," father of four Fathi Zaroub told the Associated Press.
"We took nothing from our belongings. We ran away in our pyjamas and we have no other refuge."
But the Israeli army said the UN's figures for the scale of the destruction were exaggerated and all the buildings destroyed were uninhabited structures used by Palestinian militants for shelling the settlement of Neve Dekalim.
The BBC's Alan Johnston, in Gaza City, says it is not possible for journalists to visit the scene and see for themselves because the Israelis have shut the checkpoint on the road to Khan Yunis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3689104.stm
Het is Yom Kippur in Israel, dus de Israelische bevolking is met andere zaken bezig dan het Palestijnse conflict. Kortom, ideaal moment om mensen dakloos te maken.