ISRAEL Troops search for body parts of 6 who died in blast

Palestinian gunmen tried to gather the parts to use as bargaining chips.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israeli soldiers scoured Gaza City rooftops and buildings today, searching for the body parts of six comrades blown up during intense fighting with Palestinians.
Palestinian militants proudly flaunted the body parts after Tuesday's battle, in which the soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier was blown up. At least nine Palestinians were reported dead in the ongoing fighting.
The Palestinian Authority, along with Egypt, urged Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants to return the remains. Israel pledged a harsh reprisal, saying it would not negotiate with the militants and vowing to continue its operation until it recovers the bodies.
After an overnight lull, the heavily armed Israeli forces, backed by tanks and combat helicopters, resumed searches early today. Gunbattles erupted from time to time with Palestinian militants. Residents in the Zeitoun neighborhood -- scene of Tuesday's explosion -- were confined to their homes.
Bulldozers destroy road
Early today, bulldozers entered Zeitoun, destroying parts of the main road and remains of water pipes damaged in Tuesday's fighting.
Soldiers stormed 45 shops and garages during the searches. Residents and schoolchildren gathered at the edge of the neighborhood -- a Hamas stronghold -- while gunmen streamed into the area, sparking gunfights with troops.
During the fighting, Israeli troops fired a helicopter missile at a building where the army said militants were planting bombs and firing missiles. Nine people were wounded in the airstrike, none of them seriously, Palestinian hospital officials said.
Minutes later, three explosions shook the neighborhood but there were no details on the cause of the explosions.
Eight Palestinians were killed in Tuesday's fighting, and soldiers killed a ninth person today who tried to fire an anti-tank missile at them, according to the army. Palestinian residents said a 10th person had been killed and buried under rubble. The report could not be independently confirmed. About 144 Palestinians have been wounded in the two days of fighting.
Family's ordeal
Saed Abdullah, a 45-year-old father of six who lives about 200 yards from the site of Tuesday's explosion, described the last 24 hours as a nightmare. He said he and his children spent hours hiding under beds as bullets penetrated the house, shattering windows and destroying furniture.
Soldiers stormed the house, locking the family into a room for more than five hours, Abdullah said. Then they took him and two other neighbors and used them as "human shields" as they searched the neighborhood, he added. Abdullah said he understands the need to collect the bodies.
"I believe there is no space for them on our land and there is no space to bury their body parts on our land either. The factions should hand over the bodies because the message has reached the world that we have defeated the Israeli army," Abdullah said.
Israel is known for going to great lengths to recover the remains of fallen soldiers, both because Jewish law requires the body to be buried intact and the army fears militants will try to use the remains as bargaining chips.
Israel has carried out a number of lopsided deals, most recently in January, exchanging hundreds of Arab prisoners for the remains of dead soldiers.
Tank ran over bomb
Tuesday's fighting began as a routine Israeli operation to uncover and destroy weapons workshops in Gaza City, but changed direction when the explosives-laden armored vehicle ran over an improvised bomb.
Masked Palestinian gunmen rushed to collect the body parts after the explosion, saying they would use the flesh to barter with Israel for the release of prisoners. Israel rejected the demand outright.
"We are not conducting any negotiations," said Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon. "We will show no forgiveness toward those who are responsible for [what happened to] the bodies," he said.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the roadside bomb. Two other militant groups, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades -- linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement -- and Islamic Jihad, also said they had some of the remains.