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The Israel military jeep after crushing to death the 15-year-old boy
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RAMALLAH,
September 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A 15-year-old
Palestinian was fatally rolled over by an Israeli army jeep Thursday,
September 9, during a brief incursion into a refugee camp near
Ramallah, as Israeli troops killed five others in a Fresh Gaza Strip
offensive.
The
boy, named as Mohammad Abu Nasra, was run over twice by one of the
vehicles, Palestinian security sources and medics told Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
He
was among a group of stone-throwing youths that pelted two jeeps as
they entered the Al-Amaari camp.
An
Israeli army spokeswoman claimed jeeps had entered the camp following
shots directed at the nearby Psagot settlement and were met by
stone-throwing youths.
A
jeep inadvertently rolled over one of the boys, she said.
Aljazeera
satellite channel, however, showed footage of the vehicle
intentionally hitting the boy. (Click Here to
Watch a clip)
The
incident is a grim reminder of the killing of American peace activist
Rachel Corrie, who was crushed
by an Israeli military bulldozer in the southern Gaza town of Rafah on
March 16, 2003.
Corrie
was trying to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes when the
bulldozer run over her, drawing a wide-scale criticism.
Five
Others Killed
Meanwhile,
five Palestinians, including an 11-year-year-old boy, were killed
Thursday as the Israeli army widened a major offensive in the northern
Gaza Strip.
Four,
including the youngster and a 25-year-old policeman, were shot when
soldiers opened fire at groups who throwing stones at them in the
Jabalya refugee camp, medical and security sources said.
A
24-year-old member of the Hamas' armed wing, Ezzudin Al-Qassam
Brigades, was killed earlier in an exchange of fire with soldiers in
the camp.
A
further 45 people were wounded in Jabalya, including 12 injured in an
overnight raid by Israeli combat aircraft.
Soldiers
who had already taken up positions on Wednesday, September 8, around
Jabalya and the nearby town of Beit Lahiya, expanded the offensive on
Thursday by pushing several hundred meters (yards) further south of
the densely populated area.
Israeli
occupation forces killed 14
Palestinians in an air strike on a football pitch in
eastern Gaza early Tuesday, September 7, as a group of rabbis urged
the army to show less restraint on attacks against Palestinian
civilians.
The
latest deaths brought the overall toll since the September 2000 start
of the Palestinian Intifada to 4,299, including 3,285 Palestinians and
943 Israelis, according to an AFP count.
Fully-Closed
More
and more, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered a closure
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the upcoming Jewish holidays as
a precaution against resistance attacks.
Officials
say the territories will remain sealed throughout the Jewish New Year
celebrations this month.
