Israel tanks, bulldozers invade northeast Gaza Strip
Iran Press TV
Mon May 13, 2013 3:32PM GMT
Israeli tanks and bulldozers have carried out an incursion into northeastern areas of the Gaza Strip, local sources say.
A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers infiltrated into Palestinian-owned lands in the town of Beit Hanoun on Monday.
The Israeli forces also entered Beit Hanoun last week, razing Palestinian farmlands and forcing the farmers to leave the area.
Israel has carried out a number of incursions into Gaza in the past weeks, including three airstrikes on the southern town of Khan Younis and near the town of Rafah in southern Gaza in late April.
The attacks are in violation of a ceasefire which brought an end to Israel’s eight-day war against Palestinians last November.
According to Israeli Walla website, the Israeli army is preparing to launch Operation Pillar of Defense II against the Gaza Strip in a bid to eliminate Hamas resistance movement.
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has also warned against an imminent Israeli attack against the besieged coastal enclave.
The group’s military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, has been holding military exercises in order to prepare its members for a possible Israeli aggression, the movement said.
Israel launched the so-called Operation Pillar of Defense I against Gaza in November 2012. Over 160 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and about 1,200 others were injured and more than 1,500 targets were hit across the Palestinian enclave during the eight-day war.
In retaliation, Palestinian resistance fighters fired rockets and missiles into Israeli cities, killing at least five Israelis. The offensive ended after Egypt brokered a truce between Hamas and Israel.
According to a Hamas spokesman, Israel's eight-day aggression against the Gaza Strip caused more than USD 1.2 billion in direct and indirect damages.
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