One Israeli army officer killed, one soldier wounded in a Palestinian suicide attack
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 7/10/2001

While the Israeli Prime minister Ariel Sharon has renewed his threat to use all military means against the Palestinian people, the spokesman for the Israeli army said that Maj. Gen. Shai Shaloum Cohen, the deputy commander of Shamshoun unit of the Israeli private force was killed in the suicide attack carried out by a Palestinian to the south of al-Khalil Mountain and that one Israeli soldier was wounded.

The Israeli radio said that a booby- trapped car went off on Monday at the cross- road of the settlements in Ghoushe Katieve and that the Palestinian who carried out the operation died immediately.

Meantime, Israeli military sources announced that the Israeli forces found the body of the Palestinian who carried out the operation near Kesoviem settlement to the south of Gaza, claiming that the car which was carrying him and was equipped with mortars did not result in any attacks.

The "Hamas" movement announced responsibility for the operation saying that it was carried out by " Ayesh al-Nimer, one member of the movement's military wing," noting that the operation was video taped and circulated into the mass media in the occupied territories.

Meantime, the Israeli forces bombarded several Palestinian villages and aggregations in Gaza and the West Bank, and the Palestinian Intifada youths retaliated by firing shells and bullets at the Israeli settlements of Moza' and Nafe Dekalim.

Palestinian sources said that the Palestinian child Muhammad Abu al-Saud (11 year old) was hit by a bullet fired by Israeli soldiers from an Israeli military observation tower while he was playing before his house in Yabna camp in Rafah.

On Monday, a large demonstration was held in Gaza, attended by hundreds of Palestinians to assert the continuity of the Intifada and demanding the UN to interfere to release the Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in the Israeli jails as well as to ensure international protection for the unarmed Palestinian in confrontation of the continued Israeli aggressions.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army closed the main and branch roads linking the north part of the sector to its south and opened fires of its machine- guns at Arab houses.

At Shaafat camp to the east of Jerusalem, 8 Palestinians were wounded in confrontations with the Israeli forces which demolished 14 houses in the camp amid strong military measures, while Azzoun village in the West Bank was exposed to a campaign of arrest targeted several young people in the village.

At the political level, the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon stressed he will not prevent the Israeli army from using all military means against the Palestinians, while several Israeli cabinet ministers called for an ultimate strike against the Palestinian authority. Sharon stressed his rejection to set a final date for what is called " the calm period" which precedes the Mitchell committee package, noting that such a period will not start until the complete halting of the Intifada.

The Israeli radio said that Sharon asked members of his security ministerial and economic team to give up talking about implementing Michell's package recommendations and to search for means of implementing decisions set by his government concerning chasing and killing Palestinian nationalists.

Israeli security sources admitted that the Israeli army had prepared a new military plan to tighten its siege against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in light of the leaked information on possible suicide and booby trapped operations against the Palestinians.

The Israeli financial committee approved transferring a sum of 1.9 billion Israeli Shekel from the state's general budget to the defense ministry and the ministry of the Interior and the general security department in order to meet the spending resulting from the current security conditions.

At the Palestinian level, the spiritual leader of the Hamas movement Sheikh Ahmad Yassin said that Kesoviem " suicide operation" was an evidence of the prompt preparedness of the Palestinians for " martyrdom," noting that the Palestinians will continue resisting the occupation and defending themselves by all means.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli forces broke into Hebron, kidnaped one Hamas leader   (7/9/2001)
  Annan calls on Israel to halt policy of targeted assassinations   (7/7/2001)
  Clashes continue in the Palestinian territories   (7/7/2001)

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