Israeli Missile Strike Destroys Hamas Interior Ministry
By VOA News
18 January 2008
Palestinians carry body of Al-Aqsa Martyrs commander Ahmad Sanakra, 24, killed by Israeli army in military operation 18 Jan 2008
An Israeli missile strike has destroyed the Hamas Interior Ministry building in Gaza City, part of an Israeli military offensive this week that has killed about 30 people, mostly militants, in Gaza.
The building was empty at the time, but hospital officials say flying debris killed a woman and injured at least 46 other people.
Earlier Friday, Israel closed its border with the Gaza Strip to all traffic, except humanitarian supplies, in response to continuing rocket fire by Palestinian militants from Hamas-controlled Gaza into southern Israel.
An Israeli spokesman, Arieh Mekel, says Israel will do whatever it takes until the daily rocket attacks stop. Israeli officials say Palestinian militants have fired more than 100 rockets into Israel in the past three days.
An official with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza, Mona al-Farra, is warning of a large humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which already faces shortages of food and electricity.
Palestinian medical sources say an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza early Friday killed one militant and wounded at least two others.
In a separate operation, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant near the West Bank city of Nablus. The dead militant has been identified as Ahmad Sanakra, a local commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - an armed group linked to the Fatah movement headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A spokesman for President Abbas says the surge in violence could hamper recently resumed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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