Israeli bulldozers flatten 30 houses in Gaza refugee camp
uploaded 22 Jan 2004Israeli bulldozers flattened 30 houses and a mosque in Rafah Refugee Camp on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, accusing Israel of systematically razing homes to widen a military buffer zone.
However, Israeli military said it only targeted buildings from which shots were fired overnight at Israeli forces, but did not know how many structures were demolished.
With the demolitions under way in the Rafah camp, frantic residents threw mattresses and blankets from second-floor windows as ceilings and walls come crashing down around them. One woman, standing just feet from a bulldozer, waved a white flag in a failed attempt to slow the demolition and buy time to salvage belongings. A crying girl helped her mother carry a mattress.
Army officials initially insisted the razed houses had been empty, but then said the claim was still being checked. The governor of Rafah, Majed Agha, said about 400 people were made homeless.
Israel has demolished hundreds of houses in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, in more than three years of fighting, saying the buildings gave cover to gunmen and weapons smugglers.
The Palestinians say Israel is clearing large swaths in the camp to distance built-up areas from the narrow strip Israeli troops patrol along the Egyptian border. Israel has erected a tall metal barrier south of the camp, as a shield for troops patrolling the border.
The destruction is part of a plan by Israel "to create a wide buffer zone and consolidate Israeli military control in the area,'' said Agha.
Source: Associated Press
