Israelis capture leading militant in refugee camp raid

ISRAELI troops with tanks and combat helicopters moved into a Gaza refugee camp yesterday, capturing a leading member of Islamic Jihad’s military wing and sparking a two-hour gun battle that wounded four Palestinians and one soldier.

Anwar Aliyan, 27, the head of Islamic Jihad’s military wing in the Palestinian-ruled town of Tulkarem, surrendered at his hideout in the local refugee camp, witnesses said.

The Israeli army said he and four others who were also arrested were planning a car bombing. It said troops blew up an explosives workshop in the town. An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber wounded 30 people in the Israeli town of Netanya last Sunday.

Despite US appeals for calm, violence has continued since the start of the war in Iraq two weeks ago. Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday.

Yesterday, Israeli forces hunting a Hamas militant wounded seven refugee camp residents in the central Gaza Strip, witnesses said. Israeli military sources said troops exchanged fire with armed Palestinians and one soldier was wounded.

The Israeli army’s sweep of Tulkarem camp began on Wednesday, when Israeli troops rounded up hundreds of male residents aged 14 to 40 for interrogation.

Twenty of the detained Palestinians were found to be on Israel’s wanted list and were arrested, the army said. The remainder were released but barred from re-entering the camp. They filtered back in after Israeli forces left yesterday.

The round-up was condemned by Palestinians. “Transferring thousands of refugees from the refugee camp of Tulkarem is a war crime and we hold the Israeli government fully responsible,” Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said.

A spokesman for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem called the Tulkarem tactic “unacceptable irrespective of its justification or duration”.

Defending the sweep, Israel cited security concerns heightened since its chief ally, the United States, went to war against Iraq.