GAZA

The Guardian: : Israel Takes Bloody Revenge In Gaza

Israeli forces yesterday left a trail of destruction in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, blowing up homes and streets as they retreated following an agreement to recover the body parts of six soldiers killed earlier this week.

In the Rafah refugee camp, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and scores wounded as troops searched for the remains of five soldiers blown up by Palestinian fighters. The bodies were ripped apart and spread across a wide area

Israel closed internal checkpoints, leaving thousands of Palestinians stranded and making it impossible for aid workers and journalists in Gaza to assess the effect of the Israeli incursion in Rafah. Journalists were refused permission to enter the Gaza Strip.

An eight-storey apartment block, close to where the Israeli troop carrier was blown up, had been flattened. Its owner, Salman Hajer, had built the flats to house his family. His crime was to be the owner of the building closest to where the troop carrier had been blown up.

He said: "This building was the result of 40 years' work. It was meant to be the home for my sons and their families. They have destroyed my life but I don't care.

"The price I paid does not matter. They were punished for a change."

"That's democracy, stupid!"