(Jerusalem Post) - Margot Dudkevitch Though there has been a marked drop in violence in the Gaza Strip since the IDF pullout from Beit Hanun two weeks ago, terrorist organizations are simply preparing for the day they receive orders to resume attacks, a senior IDF officer said Sunday. He claimed that out of 1.3 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip, close to 5%, or more than 60,000, are involved in terrorist activities. Rafah on the Egyptian border remains the "hard nut to crack," the officer said, as Palestinian security officials are hesitant to deal with the clans living there who continue to smuggle weapons both over land and through tunnels from Egypt. The same terrorist elements also continue to perpetrate bombings and grenade and shooting attacks against troops deployed in outposts near the city, taking advantage of the fact that the IDF is no longer initiating operations in the area. Palestinian security officials have not acted to quell the terrorist activities there, the officer said.
2003-07-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive