Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The Israel Air Force has just blown up two bridges in Gaza

Update II: Fox News is reporting the incursion into southern Gaza by the IDF has begun.

Update: The IAF just blew up a power station in Gaza city, knocking out power to the city. And Ha'aretz is reporting three bridges blown up, though they don't identify the third one.

Also: "According to information gleaned by the Palestinian Authority, Shalit is being held in the Khan Yunis refugee camp and are trying to prevent his captors from moving him elsewhere, possibly to the Jabalya refugee camp.


The Israel Air Force has just blown up two bridges in Gaza, the main bridge between Gaza City and Khan Yunis and a second one Deir el-Balah - shortly before midnight on Tuesday to prevent the transport of Gilad Shalit, the 19 year old Israeli soldier, whom a faction of Palestinians are holding prisoner, outside of the Gaza strip.

Shalit also holds French nationality.
Olmert [said] "Our efforts are not intended to punish the Palestinian people, but to bring Shalit home. We don't want to harm innocent people, but we won't let the Palestinians harm us."

A senior IDF intelligence officer told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Shalit was being held in the southern Gaza Strip.

He said that the soldier was in the hands of the military wing of Hamas, that was receiving orders from Hamas leader in exile Khaled Mashaal.

The intelligence officer also said that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniya did not know of Shalit's exact location but that he was acquainted with the people who kidnapped him. He added that Haniyeh and PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud a-Zahar were acting to solve the situation and that the IDF was operating in order to prevent the soldier from being moved out of Gaza and into Sinai.

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