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| By: Israel Insider staff and partners |
| Published: August 18, 2005 |
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A resident of Kfar Yam armed with an M-16 rifle in the beachside Gaza outpost of Kfar Yam on Thursday threatened to open fire on troops if they attempt to evacuate him, Israeli media reported.
Police spokesman Avi Zelba confirmed the presence of four armed residents in the outpost who caused troops to temporarily suspend the forcible evacuation.
Aryeh Yitzhaki stood on his balcony and waved an M-16, warning journalists to get away from his house in Kfar Yam so that they wouldn't get in the crossfire when he opened fire, Israel Radio and Haaretz newspaper reported.
Yitzhaki has earned himself a reputation as one of Gaza's most extreme settlers. He helped organize tent cities housing thousands of pullout opponents from outside Gaza to bolster the resistance.
Haaretz added that some 500 troops were surrounding Yitzhaki's house, and additional forces were being sent in. About 40 extremists were holed up in Yitzhaki's house, and they lit a fire in the yard, the paper said.
Just down the beach from Kfar Yam, troops broke into the neighboring settlement outpost of Shirat Hayam and began forcibly evacuating the residents.
Shirat Hayam and Kfar Yam are among the most hardline of Gaza's Jewish settlements. They're next to the Palestinian town of Al-Mawasi, where the army declared a curfew on Thursday to protect Jewish settlers and troops during the evacuation.
The AP contributed to this report. |
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