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Two more killed as Israel continues anti-Hamas operation

Other News Materials 19 January 2008 14:43 (UTC +04:00)

( dpa ) - Israel Saturday continued its military operation against targets in the Gaza Strip, killing two Hamas operatives and wounding four in an air attack on northern Gaza, the daily Jerusalem Post reported on its website.

The newspaper quoted Palestinian sources. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed or injured in the past days during ongoing military operations by Israel.

In response to continuing attacks on its territory, Israel Friday completely shut the crossings which, since June, have only been used for basic humanitarian needs for the impoverished region.

Hamas meanwhile appealed to Egypt to open its borders with the Gaza Strip to evacuate urgent medical cases and enter humanitarian needs after the Israeli action.

"We call on Egypt to make a brave decision and open Rafah crossing point in southern Gaza Strip to provide medical treatment for the casualties of the Israeli attacks and bring in the basic humanitarian needs," said Taher al-Nounou, spokesman for the deposed Hamas administration which still rules Gaza.

The Rafah crossing is the only passenger terminal for the 1.4 million residents of Gaza. It has been closed since June when Hamas took over the territory by force.

Israel altered Rafah with another route through its territory to control and monitor the movement of the Palestinians. However, the Israeli mechanism for evacuating Gaza residents rarely functions.

Since Tuesday, Israel has been striking at various targets in the Gaza Strip, saying the escalation was aimed at Palestinian squads which fire home-made rockets into southern Israel's communities. Up to 37 Palestinians, including 11 civilians, were among the dead.

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