VOA常速英语2008年-Israeli Forces Kill 7 Palestinians in Gaza Raid

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
07 February 2008

Israeli troops have killed at least six Palestinian militants² and a schoolteacher in the northern Gaza Strip. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.

The fighting started after Israeli tanks backed by aircraft moved into the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza to confront militants firing rockets at southern Israel. 

A Palestinian schoolteacher was killed and two of his colleagues were wounded when an Israeli missile struck their agricultural school during the operation.

Israeli military authorities say they are investigating the incident, but Defense³ Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio on Thursday military operations in Gaza will continue as long as the rockets keep striking southern Israel.

Barak says the Israeli strikes could increase and will continue, along with the blockade of the Gaza Strip, until the problem with  Qassam rockets stop.

Rocket attacks against southern Israel have intensified⁴ over the past few days and they are causing more injuries among Israelis. 

Hamas militants are claiming responsibility for most of the attacks. Until recently, militants belonging to Islamic Jihad and the so-called Popular Resistance Committees had taken credit for a majority of the rocket attacks.  Hamas also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing earlier this week that killed an elderly Israeli woman.  The attack had previously⁵ been claimed by two other militant¹ groups.

It was the first suicide bombing claimed by Hamas in three years.  Israeli security officials say the bombing was a new attempt by Hamas to derail peace talks between Israel and the moderate West Bank government of Mahmoud Abbas.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。