By Xinhua
Ramallah : The Israeli military are escalating its operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with an apparent purpose to arrest dozens of wanted Palestinian militants.
Israeli troops arrested 39 Palestinians during overnight and early morning raids across West Bank cities, Palestinian security sources said on Wednesday.
The detentions took place in the towns of Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilia and Jenin and the detainees were taken to Israeli interrogation facilities in West Bank settlements and Israeli army bases, according to the sources.
They said that most of the detained are members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, whom Israel says are wanted for attacking Israeli security forces.
Israel Radio quoted army sources as saying that 19 Palestinians were arrested for being wanted by the army, adding the Israeli army carries out the detentions in the West Bank almost on daily basis.
Early on Wednesday morning, the Israeli tanks and bulldozers, backed by air force, also rolled into al-Qarara village in the east of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza Strip at 2:00 am, local residents said.
An Israeli soldier and a Hamas militant were killed during a four-hour Israeli army ground offensive in the village.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) press office told Xinhua that one IDF soldier was killed and two others were lightly wounded during the overnight raid in the Gaza Strip.
The casualties occurred when an IDF unit carrying out operations in southern Gaza encountered a group of gunmen and exchanged fire with them, said the office.
Staff Sergeant Sayaf Bisan, 21, was killed and two others were lightly injured during the firefight while the IDF troops shot two militants, the office said.
But Palestinian witnesses and medical sources said that Israeli forces killed a Hamas militant.
The Islamic movement said clashes erupted between the Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, resulting in the death of Mohammed Shameia, 23, a member of Hamas’ military wing.
Palestinian witnesses and medical sources said Israeli forces withdrew from southeastern Gaza Strip Wednesday morning after killing a Hamas militant in fire exchange.
The Israeli military escalation in the West Bank and Gaza Stripis coming two days after a meeting was held between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has earlier said that the gaps between the two sides are still wide, denouncing Israel for continuing settlements expansion and keeping a ten-month blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The present Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip is the worst in Palestinian history, the Interior Ministry of the Hamas de facto government of the Gaza Strip also said on Tuesday.
The ministry said that the 10-month blockade has negatively affected its performance. Many of the security service’s vehicles are completely out of use to the scarcity of fuel resulting from Israel’s sanctions.
However, Erekat called Wednesday on Hamas to end its control ofthe Gaza Strip, saying the takeover has negative impact on the peace talks with Israel.
“Every time we hold negotiation with the Israelis, the issue of the Gaza Strip being controlled by Hamas is raised. The takeover is like a sword pointed at our necks,” Erekat told reporters in Ramallah.
Last June, Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip and routed the security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas following weeks of bloody fighting between rival Hamas and Fatah movements.
Erekat stressed that “Gaza takeover must end and all the commitments of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) have to be respected in order to achieve a national unity and avoid the current ongoing crisis.”