Israeli troops battle Fatah militants
Friday, 29 June 2007
NABLUS, June 28 (AP): Israeli troops imposed a curfew on downtown Nablus and clashed with Fatah militants as the army's activities moved Thursday from Gaza to the West Bank.
The Nablus raid was an indication that Israel will not stop fighting militants linked to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement - even though Israel is supporting Abbas in his struggle against Hamas, the Islamic group that seized control of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.
The Nablus operation, which Palestinian witnesses said was the largest in several months, began late Wednesday as two fiercely resisted incursions into Hamas-controlled Gaza were ending.
In those operations, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, in the bloodiest fighting since the Hamas takeover. The dead also included eight gunmen.
In Nablus, five Israeli soldiers were wounded by bombs set off by Fatah militants overnight in the old, densely populated part of the city known as the casbah, where troops combed alleyways and entered houses searching for gunmen and weapons. One Fatah man was arrested, the army said.
In what has become a routine procedure, the army interrupted broadcasts on the city's radio and TV stations, and Nablus residents heard instead warnings in Arabic not to leave their homes.
On Thursday morning, the streets were empty except for armored military jeeps.
The Nablus raid was an indication that Israel will not stop fighting militants linked to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement - even though Israel is supporting Abbas in his struggle against Hamas, the Islamic group that seized control of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.
The Nablus operation, which Palestinian witnesses said was the largest in several months, began late Wednesday as two fiercely resisted incursions into Hamas-controlled Gaza were ending.
In those operations, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, in the bloodiest fighting since the Hamas takeover. The dead also included eight gunmen.
In Nablus, five Israeli soldiers were wounded by bombs set off by Fatah militants overnight in the old, densely populated part of the city known as the casbah, where troops combed alleyways and entered houses searching for gunmen and weapons. One Fatah man was arrested, the army said.
In what has become a routine procedure, the army interrupted broadcasts on the city's radio and TV stations, and Nablus residents heard instead warnings in Arabic not to leave their homes.
On Thursday morning, the streets were empty except for armored military jeeps.