At least eight Palestinians were killed Wednesday morning in a series of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. One of the casualties, Raid Fanouna, was a top leader in Islamic Jihad’s military wing. Fanouna was responsible for the firing of rockets into Israeli communities north of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources claimed he was killed by a missile launched from an aircraft. Israel denies this.
A series of shooting exchanges between Israeli troops and armed men from Hamas and Islamic Jihad resulted in the deaths of seven more Palestinians, including one teenager.
The Israeli army reported that the limited military operations it conducted Wednesday morning was aimed at discovering tunnels used for smuggling weapons.
‘Abbas orders: no weapons on the streets
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas on Tuesday issued a decree prohibiting the carrying of unauthorized weapons in the streets of the West Bank. Shortly afterwards, commander of Fatah’s military wing Jenin, Zakariyya A-Zubeidi, announced the dismantling of his organization in Jenin and the transfer of its weapons to the P.A.’s security organizations.