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Israeli fired on crowd { October 21 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/351965.htmlhttp://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/351965.html
Tuesday, October 21, 2003 Tishrei 25, 5764
Last Update: 21/10/2003 14:05
Arafat urges world to intervene after Monday IAF blitz in Gaza
By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Agencies
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat
Tuesday urged world leaders on Tuesday to take
immediate action over Israeli helicopter gunship
strikes that killed 14 Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip Monday.
In his first public comments on the air raids, Arafat did
not specify what action he sought. But he told reporters
that world leaders, including the Quartet of powers trying
to secure a peace agreement, should "immediately intervene
to stop this military madness in which they aim to destroy
the Holy Land and this steadfast people".
Israeli security forces remained on high alert
Tuesday for threatened terror attacks by Hamas
and the Islamic Jihad in retaliation for the
unprecedented wave of five IAF helicopter
assaults throughout the day Monday.
In a statement released in Beirut Monday, the
leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad pledged to
retaliate for Israel's attacks on
Palestinians.
"The two movements agreed to confront the
Zionist aggression on our people in Palestine
and to urge all (Palestinian) factions and
resistance forces to coordinate among each
other to confront this aggression," the
statement said.
Most of the casualties were believed to be
non-combatants.
National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky
said Tuesday that Israel should apologize for
the civilian casualties and compensate the
victims, Israel Radio reported.
Asked Tuesday about the civilian casualties in
IAF raids, Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim
said "The murderous Hamas and Jihad terrorism
nests deep within the civilian population. Some
of this population - and I emphasize, some -
collaborates and aids these murderous
organizations.
"Not all are innocent there, certainly not those
who store lathes (for producing Qassam rockets)
and weaponry, bombs, and Qassams in their
homes," Boim told Israel Radio, adding that
"some of them also receive good money for this.
This is also true of the (arms-smuggling)
tunnels in Rafah."
Army spokeswoman, Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron, told
Army Radio that "the primary responsibility of
the IDF is to defend Israeli citizens. The
blood of the victims in Gaza is on the hands of
the terrorists."
Yaron added that "we were forced to stop the car
and capture the terrorists who were in it. To
our great regret, civilians were also hit
during the strike, but anyone who flees into a
densely populated area put the population at
risk."
During three years of violence, Israeli air
strikes in Gaza have caused dozens of civilian
casualties. In April, an air attack killed
Hamas leader Said Arabeed and eight other
people. In July 2002, 15 people were killed,
including nine children, in an air strike that
targeted another Hamas leader, Salah Shehadeh.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, addressing the
Knesset Monday, said there would be no let-up
in the campaign against militant Palestinian
groups.
"The Israeli military will continue to act to
foil terror attacks, capture murderers and
liquidate terror organizations," Sharon
declared.
The Palestinian Authority declared a state of
emergency Monday night, citing supply shortages
in Gaza hospitals.
The IDF said Monday that the attacks were
carried out due to the large number of Qassam
rockets fired recently from the Gaza Strip into
Israel, and not as a response to the killing of
three soldiers on Sunday near Ofra Ramallah.
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