  12 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes March 10, 2012 - 10:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Twelve Palestinians, most of them fighters, were killed and at least 20 wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics said early Saturday, March 10. According to AFP, the Israeli raids came as Palestinians fired dozens of rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel starting Friday morning, injuring four people, one seriously, Israeli military sources said. One Israeli strike, on a car travelling in the Tel El-Hawa neighbourhood west of Gaza City, killed the head of the militantPopular Resistance Committees, Zohair al-Qaisi, and fellow member Mahmud Hanani, the group said. The PRC threatened to retaliate for Qaisi's death, and around 40 rockets and shells were subsequently fired on southern Israel. The Al Quds Brigades, the military arm of Islamic Jihad, said later that strikes had killed 10 of its members. The PRC and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement, issued statements claiming to have fired rockets into Israel on Friday. The official Palestinian WAFA news agency quoted a statement by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority condemning the Israeli retaliation, saying it had created a "negative environment" that would "escalate the circle of violence in the region." The Israeli military said Qaisi "was among the leaders who planned, funded and directed" a deadly cross-border attack into southern Israel from Egypt's Sinai last August.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months  The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan.Ucom General Director joins High-Tech Development Panel Discussion The discussion was titled "The Role of International Corporations and Investors as Catalysts for Development of High-Tech Ecosystem."U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says.Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. |
