Region | Palestinian Territories
Israel at war in Gaza, says Olmert
Israeli troops kill a Palestinian Fatah fighter as Israel's prime minister declares "war" against fighters in Gaza.
- Agencies
- Published: 09:53 January 18, 2008
- Image Credit: Reuterss
- Israeli children walk towards a bus near their school after a rocket attack in the southern town of Sderot on Thursday.
Gaza: Fresh Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip killed at least five Palestinians as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the country was at "war" against Gaza fighters.
On Friday, Israeli troops killed a fighter from the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement in the West Bank.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades confirmed one of its members was killed by undercover Israeli troops who were operating in the Balata refugee camp near the city of Nablus.
At least 26 people have been killed in Gaza in three days, including the son of senior Hamas lader Mahmoud Al Zahar.
Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops have been exchanging rocket fire, with Hamas saying it has fired at least 80 rockets into Israel.
Olmert on Thursday vowed to force Palestinian fighters to stop their attacks. "A war is going on in the south, every day, every night," he said.
"We cannot and will not tolerate this increasing fire at Israeli citizens ... so we will continue to operate… with the maximum precision that will enable us to hit those who want to attack us," he said.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip closed in response to the rocket fire.
Nabil Amer, an adviser to Abbas, held Israel responsible "for every drop of blood that is shed in the Gaza Strip".
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