Five Gaza militants killed in Israeli airstrikes

Israeli aircraft struck three times in southern Gaza, killing five militants, after a day of internal Palestinian unrest with public service workers and security forces clamouring to be paid.

Two airstrikes came late yesterday in the refugee camp on the Gaza-Egypt border, killing four Hamas militants and wounding 18 bystanders. The military said it was targeting Hamas militants in both attacks.

Before daybreak today, Israeli helicopters fired at militants in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing one and wounding three, witnesses and hospital officials said.

The military said the targets were armed militants approaching the border fence. Israeli forces began clearing the area near the fence, the military said.

Residents said the first airstrike in Rafah caused a huge fire. An eyewitness, Salim Abu Jazer, 55, said the initial blast was followed by two smaller explosions in a car. The military said that showed it was carrying explosives.

Since an Israeli soldier was captured in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants in late June, Israeli forces have been operating in Gaza, hunting militants. Israeli airstrikes have targeted buildings the Israelis say are used by militants for making and storing weapons, as well as vehicles carrying suspected militants.

Also yesterday, Israeli soldiers at a West Bank roadblock arrested the commander of Force 17, an elite security unit linked to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party. Israel said the commander, Mahmoud Damra, was linked to attacks against Israelis.

Earlier yesterday, Palestinian security officers went on the rampage in Gaza City, demanding back pay from the cash-strapped Hamas-led government.

Several thousand Palestinian security officers fired rifles in the air and assaulted the parliament building, the first time armed forces have joined the workers’ protests over back pay.

Shop owners along the protest route through downtown Gaza City closed their stores, some in solidarity and others fearing violence.

In the West Bank, the work stoppage, launched last weekend by teachers and civil servants, escalated into a full-scale general strike as shop owners closed their stores. In one town, gunmen from the opposition Fatah Party shot weapons in the air after some businesses tried to open.

The Palestinian government has been in a financial crisis since Hamas took over in March after winning parliamentary elections. Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel, has refused international pressure to renounce violence and recognise the Jewish state. In response, Western donors cut off aid.

Without the foreign funds, the government has been unable to pay salaries to its 165,000 workers for months, giving them small, sporadic stipends instead. Seeking a way out of the crisis, Abbas has been calling for Hamas to soften its positions and form a national unity government.

Fatah, which controls many of the unions and dominates the powerful security forces, has openly supported the strikes, drawing accusations from Hamas that the stoppage is politically motivated.

“We aren’t against the government, even if we disagree with it. But for seven months we’ve suffered without salaries,” said Nidal Khader, a security officer who helped organise the protest.

Hamas politician Mushir al-Masri said he understood workers’ frustration at not being paid, but called the security officers’ behaviour irresponsible.

“We have 78,000 registered security personnel on the payroll. Unfortunately, instead of protecting security today, they were part of the chaos,” he said. “We are sorry that there are some elements that are abusing the suffering of our people for their own political needs.”

Observance of the strike has been much stronger in the West Bank, where hospitals and schools have been shut down. In the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem, residents observed a full general strike. In Tulkarem, Fatah gunmen shot in the air after some shop owners tried to open their stores.

In some cases, gunmen loyal to Fatah have forced people to observe the civil servants strike, which began on Saturday when teachers shut down schools.