Israel Gaza offensive enters 4th day, 43 killed

10/2/2004 9:45:00 AM GMT

The Israeli forces killed seven Palestinian fighters on Saturday in Gaza strip, as the army pressed on with its large scale military operation targeting all Palestinian fighters in this refugee camp.

Saturday’s death toll brings to 43 the number of Palestinian deaths in one of Israel's deadliest assaults on the area.

Israel’s recent set of incursions is considered one of the largest offensives during the four-year Palestinian Intifada, uprising.

About 200 tanks and armored vehicles had assembled along Israel's border north and east of Gaza on Friday, part of the Israeli army massive raid launched on Tuesday.

The Israeli army, codenamed these operations "Days of Reckoning."

Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinian fighters while they were crossing the Gaza border into southern Israel.

According to the Israeli army, the four killed men were wearing explosives belts.

Also on Saturday, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a group of Palestinian gunmen northeast of Jabaliya camp shortly after midnight, military sources said. Palestinian medical workers said that three members of Jihad group were killed.

60-year old Palestinian man killed

In other incidents, Israeli forces shot dead a 60-year-old Palestinian man near his home in the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza, Palestinian hospital officials said.

Rafah, about 25 miles south of the latest fighting, has witnessed the severest of battles between Israeli occupation troops and Palestinian resistance fighters.

The Israeli army did not comment on the incident.

Amid the Israeli violence, Palestinian fighters managed to fire another Qassam rocket into Sderot on Friday. However, the rocket didn't cause any casualties.

Sharon fears that rocket attacks will jeopardize his Gaza withdrawal plan next year.

Sharon's opponents, including critics within his own party, suggest that withdrawing from Gaza will encourage more attacks on the Israelis.