Israel tears up runway at Gaza Airport
Israeli armoured vehicles and bulldozers have reportedly ripped up the runway at Gaza International Airport, a vital link between Palestine and the rest of the world, and have cut an access road to the airport, according to local officials.
Palestinians consider the airport, which opened in 1998, as a symbol of their national sovereignty.
Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said the action was "making sure no one can take off from this airport".
Yesterday, Israel bombed Yasser Arafat’s personal fleet of helicopters, effectively stranding the Palestinian leader in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
That town, as well as most others in the West Bank, is now surrounded by Israeli tanks.
