Five Israelis killed, 63 wounded in Palestinian attack
Palestine-Israel, Military, 9/20/2002

Five Israelis were killed and other 63 were wounded, ten of them in a critical health condition in a suicide operation carried out by a Palestinian in Tel Aviv on Thursday. It was the second of its kind within 24 days following the Um al-Fahem operation on Wednesday.

The Palestinian national resistance movement, Hamas, claimed responsibility for the operation, noting that it falls in the context of continued Intifada that will last until the Israeli occupation ends.

One Palestinian was killed in Ramullah and four students wounded in Balata camp and other five Palestinians in Rafah. The Israeli forces destroyed two houses in Nablus, and arrested more Palestinians.

Meantime, the Israeli forces, escorted by tanks on Thursday broke into Deir al-Balah city in Gaza and the headquarters of the Palestinian authority in Gaza, at a time when the Israeli forces imposed curfew on all Palestinian cities except Hebron.

In a meeting held on Thursday chaired by the prime minister Ariel Sharon, and attended by all heads of Israeli military and security departments following Tel Aviv operation, the mini Israeli cabinet discussed security developments following the new Palestinian operation.

Five Israelis were killed and more than other 63 wounded when an explosion took place in an Israeli coach in al-Lanbi street in the downtown of Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli radio.

The radio added that one Palestinian was able to step into a bus at a road crossing in the downtown of Tel Aviv and detonated himself. No other information was reported.

Israeli sources held the Palestinian Authority responsible for the operation claiming that the Palestinian Authority did nothing to halt the operation against Israel and that there is a drastic need to make genuine reforms in its departments.

For its part, the Palestinian factions and groups held Israel responsible for the continued suicide operations that they said is the result of its "continued crimes against the Palestinians in acts of killing, displacing people, uprooting trees and leveling lands."

One of the Hamas leaders in Gaza Ismael Henya said that Israel is "the last and first side responsible for the continued martyrdom operations." He added in an interview with al-Jazeera TV in Qatar that "Today ( yesterday)'s operation is an introduction for a series of coming operations that are in retaliation to crimes against the Palestinian people."

Previous Stories:
  Israel fires at UN officials in Gaza strip   (9/19/2002)
  Palestinian suicide operation, three settlers killed, continued Israeli demolishing of Palestinian houses   (9/19/2002)
  Committee to Protect Journalists calls for release of three Journalists detained by Israel   (9/12/2002)
  Mahmoud Abbas denies forthcoming meeting with Sharon because of Oslo statements   (9/11/2002)

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