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Israeli helicopters attack targets in gaza Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/12/13/gaza.explosion/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/12/13/gaza.explosion/
Israeli helicopters attack targets in Gaza
Strike follows deadly blast by militants at military checkpoint
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Hours after a deadly tunnel blast by militants in Gaza killed five Israeli soldiers, Israeli helicopters early Monday fired at two metal workshops in Gaza City, suspected of making weapons.
"In a security forces operation tonight in Gaza City, the IAF (Israeli Air Force) targeted two buildings used by terrorist organizations as part of the weapons manufacturing industry in the Gaza Strip," said a release from the Israel Defense Forces.
"The buildings were used by the Hamas terror organization for the manufacturing of different types of explosives, including mortar shells and explosive devices, which [were] used by the organization to carry out terror attacks aimed against Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers."
The IDF did not comment on the reported third target, but Palestinian security sources said it was the house of a Hamas activist in southern Gaza City, which was empty when it was struck.
No casualties were immediately reported, according to Palestinian medical sources.
On Sunday, Palestinian militants set off explosives in a tunnel under an Israel Defense Forces post next to a joint Israeli-Palestinian military checkpoint near Rafah, then opened fire, an Israeli official said.
Five other IDF soldiers were wounded, two seriously, in the Rafah terminal in southern Gaza.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had carried out the attack near Rafah with another group called the Fatah Hawks.
Sunday's blast took place beneath an international terminal that was recently opened to serve Palestinians who move between Egypt and Gaza.
Raanan Gissin, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, called it a sign that terrorists are trying to prevent moves toward normalization in the area -- and he called on Palestinian leadership to take action against such groups.
The attack "indicates that unless there is decisive and sustained effort taken to dismantle the terrorist organization, it will be impossible to move towards normalizations and towards political negotiations. That's the message of today's attack," Gissin told a news crew. "And I think the responsibility on that lies with the Palestinian Authority."
He also called on both Egypt and Palestinian security forces to take actions to prevent the digging of tunnels.
He said Israel will take "the necessary measures" to avoid such attacks unilaterally -- and will "use harsher measures" -- but "we much prefer" to work with Egypt and the Palestinians to do so.
Asked whether the attack and ongoing violence in the area may delay plans for an Israeli unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Gissin responded, "Nothing in the world is going to postpone the timetables and the decision that has been taken by the government for unilateral withdrawal."
He added, "But there is another alternative ... for the Palestinians with the help of the Egyptians to help us coordinate the withdrawal" and assume security responsibility over the area.
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization whose military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as attacks against the Israeli military.
There was no immediate information available on the Fatah Hawks, though it was believed to be linked to the Fatah movement formerly led by Yasser Arafat, who died last month.
Israeli military sources said it was a coordinated attack, with Palestinians firing mortar shells and guns at the post when the explosives were detonated.
Israeli military sources also said one Palestinian was killed. Two armed Palestinians approached the checkpoint after the explosion and opened fire. Israeli soldiers fired back, killing one of them, the military sources said. The other Palestinian escaped, they said.
In a pamphlet distributed after the attack, Hamas said it had used 1.5 tons of explosives and had recorded video of the incident.
Palestinians have used tunnels in the area to smuggle weapons from Egypt. Israel has carried out operations to crack down on the smuggling.
CNN producer Talal Aburahma contributed to this report.
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