Nine Palestinians killed by Israel, tens wounded
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 2/22/2002

Nine Palestinian were shot on Thursday and tens others were wounded while the Palestinian held funerals for 7 persons who were killed by Israel on Wednesday in Gaza, amid massive demonstration in Rafah and al-Salaam, Brazil and al-Breij camps vowing continued Intifada.

Meantime, the Israeli forces launched a vast aggression against the cities of the West Bank and Gaza and bombarded by F-16 and Apache planes Ramullah, Rafah and Nablus. In retaliation the Palestinians attacked Israeli positions and tanks and the clashes resulted in killing two Palestinians. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded near Baqa town and the Palestinian youth Walid al-Sheikh ( 35) was wounded and other three including one woman was wounded in Bazza village near ramullah and the Palestinian Mahmoud Mustafa was killed to the south of Rafah.

News reports said that the cities of Ramullah and Nablus witnessed the most violent air bombardment as the Israeli missiles destroyed buildings of the Palestinian Authority and tens of houses were damaged. The bombardment targeted a building near the office of Marwan al-Barghouthi, the secretary of the Fatah movement in Ramullah and another building close to the headquarters of Yasser Arafat.

In Gaza five Palestinians were murdered in Rafah. They are Sameer Hosni Abu al-Saud ( 31 year old), Muhammad al-Nims ( 22 year old), Raed Abu Louli ( 25 year old), Ehab Abdul Wahab ( 16 year old) and Bassem Affata ( 25 year old). Other 30 Palestinians were wounded by the Israeli missiles fragments and bullets while other 6 Palestinian were wounded in the clashes took place in al-Mintar and al-Shujaiya areas, while the Israeli tanks and bulldozers incurred in the camps of al-Barazil, al-Salaam and al-Breik and the tough military siege continued against the cities of Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

An Israeli military spokesman admitted that the Israeli Apache planes bombarded the headquarters of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority offices in Ramullah and Nablus. He said that the Israeli tanks besieged several houses in Gaza and Rafah before demolishing them and converting them into a military position. The spokesman admitted also that the air bombardment destroyed several houses in Khan Younis in which Apache planes and F-16 took part.

A Palestinian source said the Israeli forces destroyed by explosives the building of the Palestinian radio and TV in Gaza after steeling its content, while other Palestinian sources said that the Israeli forces arrested on Thursday tens of Palestinians during breaking in and inspection campaigns in the villages and areas of Jenin, Nablus, Ramullah, al-Khalil and Jerusalem.

The chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat renewed his call for the Palestinian national resistance groups to halt the Intifada. His call was made in a press conference in Ramullah and he said " we renew the initiative we announced on December 16 to abide by the cease fire and pursue the route to peace."

Meanwhile, the Palestinian security forces arrested three persons suspected of killing the Israeli tourism minister Rahb'am Zaefi and the three men were arrested at the personal order of Arafat, according to the chairman of the Palestinian intelligence.

Previous Stories:
  Peres regrets he did not give immediate independence for Palestinians   (2/21/2002)
  Israeli settlers call for expelling Arafat   (2/21/2002)
  Seventeen Palestinians killed in Israeli aggression at cities of West Bank, Gaza   (2/21/2002)

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