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    March 12, 2012

Israeli Airstrikes Kill 2 Militants After More Rockets Fired From Gaza

   VOA News
   Palestinians react at a hospital following an Israeli air strike in
   Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 10, 2012. Photo: Reuters
   Palestinians react at a hospital following an Israeli air strike in
   Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 10, 2012.

   Medics say Israeli airstrikes killed two more Palestinian militants in
   Gaza Monday in another Israeli response to rocket attacks.
   Palestinian officials say the airstrike wounded at least 25 people. The
   four days of violent tit-for-tat exchanges have killed 20 Palestinians,
   including a 12-year-old boy. All but two of those killed were
   militants.
   The militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the
   latest rocket attacks into southern Israel. Officials from Hamas, which
   rules Gaza, call the attacks a rightful resistance to Israeli
   occupation.
   Well over 100 rockets have targeted southern Israel since Friday.
   Israel closed schools in the area Monday for the second day as a
   precaution.
   Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the airstrikes will
   continue as long as necessary. He says those who have been targeting
   Israeli civilians are paying a heavy price.
   Palestinian officials say Egypt is trying to mediate a return to calm
   as it did during previous exchanges of fire in recent years.
   The latest fighting erupted Friday when an Israeli air strike on Gaza
   killed two Palestinians who Israel says were planning an imminent
   attack. Israel says one of the militants, Zuhair al-Qaissi, helped
   carry out an attack last August in which terrorists sneaked into
   southern Israel from Egypt and killed eight people.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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