2007年VOA标准英语-Israel Launches Air Strikes on Gaza as Palestin

By Robert Berger
Jerusalem
19 May 2007

Israel has launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip for the third straight day, killing¹ two Palestinians. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the air raids occurred as rival Palestinian factions³ agreed to another ceasefire.

rubble4 of a destroyed metal workshop allegedly used by the Islamic group Hamas after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, 19 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070606/1029200.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

A Palestinian youth walks past the rubble of a destroyed metal workshop allegedly used by the Islamic group Hamas after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, 19 May 2007

Israeli aircraft pounded suspected targets of the Islamic militant⁵ group Hamas in Gaza, in retaliation⁶ for Palestinian rocket attacks. The army said weapons factories and rocket launching squads⁷ were among the targets.

Israeli Defense⁸ Minister Amir Peretz says there is more to come.

Peretz told Israel Radio that military and political leaders of Hamas could also be targeted. He said anyone involved in rocket attacks should be afraid. At the same time, Peretz ruled out a major ground offensive in Gaza.

The air force went into action after Hamas fired dozens of rockets that have terrorized the Israeli border town of Sderot. But despite the air strikes, the rockets keep coming.

Much of Sderot has been evacuated⁹ and the streets are empty.

The Israeli air strikes have further complicated the situation in Gaza, where Hamas and the rival Palestinian Fatah faction² have engaged in fierce gun battles. Some 50 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began nine days ago. But in a fresh bid to avert¹⁰ civil war, the factions agreed to another ceasefire.

"Maintaining the ceasefire is a vital Palestinian interest and I hope people will adhere to this," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat of Fatah.

Under the deal, both sides will pull their fighters off the streets and exchange hostages. But previous ceasefires have quickly collapsed¹¹, and many Palestinians fear that this one will suffer the same fate.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

3 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

4 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

5 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。

6 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

10 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

11 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。