Israel: January 26, 2003

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: 10.0pt"> In response to rockets fired from Gaza, some fifty Israeli armored vehicles went deep into Gaza to destroy rocket launching sites. There were no Israeli casualties, but at least a dozen Palestinians were killed and some sixty wounded. The Israelis come at night and are always out by dawn. The Israeli night vision equipment enables them to easily outfight the Palestinians, who have made strenuous efforts to resist Israeli incursions. But the Israelis carefully plan and skillfully execute their raids, forcing the Palestinians to operate at a disadvantage. Israel also maintains a fence and other barriers around Gaza, which, so far, has kept terrorists from getting from Gaza to Israeli territory. But the locally made rockets, which are getting larger and longer ranged, are worrisome. Israeli intelligence is focusing on who is making the rockets and where. Thus the deeper Israeli raids into Gaza, and the more extensive Palestinian efforts to hide the rockets.

The most common home made rocket, the Kassam, has a range of 8-13 kilometers. Some have been smuggled into the West Bank, or built there, and were apparently meant to be fired into Israeli populated areas. 

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