Death Toll from Israel's Gaza Offensive Rises to 100
Israeli air strikes killed five Palestinians in Gaza Thursday as the Palestinian death toll rose to 100 in a 16-day-old army offensive aimed at crushing militants behind rocket salvoes into Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is seeking a decisive triumph over militants to overcome rightist opposition to his plan to “disengage” from conflict with Palestinians by evacuating all Jewish settlers from Gaza and a few from the West Bank in 2005. Full Story