Israeli bulldozers level over 2-dozen houses in Gaza

By: Ahmad Hammadi

RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip: Israel on Tuesday bulldozed nearly three-dozen houses and a mosque in the frequently targeted Gaza Strip refugee camp on the Egyptian border leaving about 400 people homeless, Palestinian officials and witnesses said.

Army officials initially insisted the razed houses had been empty, but then said the claim was still being checked. Palestinians said Israel systematically razing homes to widen a military buffer zone.

In more than three years of fighting, Israel has demolished hundreds of houses in Rafah.

Also razed Tuesday was a neighborhood mosque, At-Tauhid, which had been partially demolished Saturday, according to residents. The mosque is about 70 feet from the Israeli metal barrier.

Mosque preacher Ibrahim Abu-Jazar condemned the act saying, “This is a crime against God's law and human law as well.”

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