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Israeli troops destroy houses
15/05/2004 10:30 - (SA)
Gaza City - Israeli troops have destroyed more than 100 houses in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah over the last two days, a Palestinian human rights group told AFP on Saturday.
"The army has completely destroyed more than 100 houses in Rafah," said Raji al-Sourani, head of the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) shortly after Israeli troops pulled out of the town.
Since the start of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, the army has systematically demolished homes in Rafah, but the policy was stepped up after five soldiers were killed in the flashpoint border town on Wednesday.
The five soldiers were killed when a rocket hit their armoured personnel carrier in a buffer zone along the border, known as the "Philadelphi route", as they were attempted to demolish a cross-border tunnel.
A day earlier, Israel said it would bulldoze "hundreds of houses" to widen the buffer zone in a bid to secure its patrols and prevent militants from using tunnels to smuggle weapons.
The move was reportedly green-lighted by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who said Israel find new accommodation for the homeless.
But according to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Israel's demolitions in Rafah's refugee camps have left more than 11 000 people homeless since September 2000.
An official from Sharon's office warned the demolition would commence in earnest after troops completed the search for the remains of the five soldiers.
The search ended early on Saturday, the army said shortly after troops withdrew from the town.
Two more soldiers and a Palestinian were killed in the area on Friday, and the body of another Palestinian was discovered early on Saturday under the rubble of his destroyed home, medics said.
- AFP
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