Rafah: IOF Reduces 25 Houses into Rubble

IOF Reduces 25 Houses into a heap of Rubbles in Rafah

RAFAH, Palestine, October 1, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli occupying forces (IOF) invaded Rafah city and demolished 25 houses, wounding four Palestinians in the process.

Palestinian security sources told IPC correspondent that five Israeli military bulldozers, backed by 15 armored vehicles invaded late last night the Yebna refugee camp, south of the border city of Rafah, and started demolishing Palestinian houses. 24 houses were completely reduced to a heap of rubbles while an additional house sustained partial damages.

The wide spate of such house demolition rendered a round 40 families homeless, in the open air.

The sources added that IOF soldiers opened random and heavy gunfire and tanks shells everywhere in the camp, wounding four Palestinian citizens.

Medical sources at Abu Yousef Al Najjar hospital in Rafah declared that four citizens were hospitalized whom wounded by the flare shrapnel.

"Khayri Barhoum, 37, was wounded with shrapnel in the right hand, while Kamal Al Bashiti, 47, was seriously wounded with shrapnel in his left eye. Two other citizens, Mohammed Abdel Wahhab, 24, and Subheya Emran, 61, were wounded due to the falling from their houses while trying to avoid the indiscriminate shooting," Dr. Othman Abu Jazar, a doctor in the hospital said.

Meanwhile, in Jenin governorate, IOF invaded Jenin city and its refugee camp, confining its residents under a tight curfew. Then afterwards, IOF troops patrolled the streets and conducted house-to-house search. Eyewitnesses said that the troops used dynamites to blast the doors open and broke the locks of shops, seeking out the anti occupation activists.

The Israeli military campaign against Jenin resulted in the arrest of Sheikh Bassam Al Sa'eed, 33, head of the Islamic Jihad's politburo in Jenin. The Israeli soldiers used trained assault dogs and forced neighboring houses to leave before arresting Al Sa'eed. He was later taken to an undisclosed location, IPC correspondent in Jenin reported.

In Qulqelia, IOF invaded the city of Qulqelia, besieged the Kofr Sab neighborhood and arrested two Palestinian citizens.

Eyewitnesses told WAFA that IOF troops searched the neighborhood's houses and arrested two citizens, identified as Ahmad Farraj, 25, and Haytham Al Aqra'a, 22. Both were taken to an undisclosed location.

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