10 die in Rafah air strike
2004-05-19 15:07
Gaza City - At least 10 Palestinians were killed and about 40 wounded on Wednesday in an Israeli helicopter strike on a demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah to protest a massive army operation there, medical sources and witnesses said.
The raid took place in the Tal Al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah's refugee camp which has been the scene of the bloodiest clashes since Tuesday morning's start of "Operation Rainbow" which has now left 34 Palestinians dead.
Israel has defended the operation, the largest it has ever carried out in the Gaza Strip, as necessary to halt arms smuggling under the border with Egypt.
The latest deaths bring the overall toll since the September 2000 start of the Palestinian intifada to 4 064, including 3 075 Palestinians and 918 Israelis.