Israel arrests speaker of Palestinian parliament
Last Updated: Saturday, August 5, 2006 | 9:40 PM ET
CBC News
Israeli forces have arrested the speaker of the Palestinian parliament at his house, Palestinian officials said early Sunday.
Officials said about 20 Israeli army vehicles surrounded the house of Abdel Aziz Duaik and took him into custody.
The Israeli military said that Duaik, as a Hamas leader, was a target for arrest.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas called the arrest "another crime of piracy by the [Israeli] occupation against the elected representatives of our people," and demanded international action to secure the release of Duaik and other Hamas officials.
On June 29, Israeli forces arrested dozens of Hamas officials, including eight cabinet ministers. One was released earlier this week.
Earlier in the weekend, Israel continued its incursion into the region, launching deadly air strikes and rolling its tanks into the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.
A mother and her two children were killed in the first Israeli air strike, officials said. Four other people were seriously wounded in the attack.
The Israeli army defended the air strike, saying that its aircraft was targeting several armed Palestinians.
A 19-year-old militant with the Islamic Jihad group was killed in a second air strike.
Tanks move in
Israeli tanks moved into the town of Rafah early Saturday, laying claim to a deserted Palestinian security training camp.
Palestinian security officials said the Israeli forces also closed roads on the eastern edge of the town. On Friday, Israeli troops conducted house-to-house searches in the area.
Israel began a military offensive in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants attacked an Israeli army outpost on June 25 and killed two soldiers. A third soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, was captured in the raid.
Israel responded by shutting down the border to Gaza and moving forces into Palestinian territory.
More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the violence in Gaza since the incursion began.
Gaza-Egypt border reopens, supplies arrive
The Gaza-Egypt border crossing was expected to open for the second time since the recent fighting began, allowing one-way traffic into Egypt on Saturday and Sunday. Palestinian and Israeli officials along with European monitors reached an agreement to open the border on Friday.
Israeli officials also announced that it opened a border checkpoint to allow 160 truckloads of food, medical supplies, gasoline and diesel into Gaza.
The United Nations on Thursday said both Israelis and Palestinians must protect civilians as the fighting continues. Israel, in particular, was singled out for creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel continues to fight on two fronts: against Palestinian militants in Gaza and against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
With files from the Associated Press
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