Israeli jets have carried out fresh raids on tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, reportedly sending hundreds of people fleeing their homes in panic. The raids came in the wake of Israeli mounting threats to resume the shelling in Gaza in response to the fire of a rocket in the city of Ashkelon, according to Israeli sources. For his part, the Israeli Housing Minister Zeev Boim threatened to assassinate Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
Al-Masry Al-Youm learnt that the Egyptian security forces on the border with Gaza discovered six underground tunnels.
There have been positive fruitful negotiations between Hamas delegation in Cairo and chief of the Egyptian intelligence Omar Suleiman, an Egyptian official source said, pointing out that no agreement has been reached on the truce Cairo proposes to come into action as of Friday.
Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses said the Israeli warplanes bombarded more than 10 missiles at tunnels on the borders of Rafah, the southernmost the Gaza Strip. The bombardment caused massive explosions in Rafah and cut off power. The raids left no injuries.
The Israeli aircrafts have also bombed a training site for Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas", in the town of Beit Lahiya and another site in Khan Yunis.
For his part, the Israeli Housing Minister said: "the only way to stop the fire of rockets is the assassination of "terrorist" Haniyeh." In Gaza, the deposed government has accused both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority of preventing the flow of aid sent from different world countries to the besieged Gaza Strip. In a press statement, Minister of Social Affairs Ahmed al-Kurd said: "Israel imposes a siege on Gaza and Palestinian parties help it", in reference to the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank.
