A woman from al-Jihad movement kills 3 Israelis
Palestine-Israel, Military, 5/20/2003

In a fifth operation of its kind during the past 48 hours, a Palestinian woman belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine broke into a trade center in al-Afoula city inside the territories of 1948 and detonated herself and this resulted in killing three Israelis and wounding other 43.

The Palestinian authority represented by its president and prime minister denounced the operations and announced by its prime minister it works to resume dialogue with the Palestinian groups in Cairo to convince them of a one year truce in order to avail the chance before implementing the Roadmap which was not accepted yet by Israel.

The Israeli army radio said quoting the police said that three persons were killed and 43 were injured, 13 of them are in critical health conditions, in the explosion which took place at the trade center entrance in al-Afoula town.

An Israeli security source said that unidentified persons were seen fleeing the place of the incident prior to the explosion while the Israeli police units blocked the area.

An official at the Islamic Jihad said that a young woman from the movement carried out the operation called Heba Azem Saeed Daraghema. He added that the woman was 19 years old and is from Toubas village near Jenin and she was a student at the language faculty at the local Jerusalem University.

Earlier in the day, one Palestinian detonated himself while riding his bike to wound three Israeli soldiers in Gaza. The Israeli commander of the area where the explosion took place said that one Palestinian rode his bike which had between 10 to 20 Kg of explosives and detonated himself near an Israeli jeep car but he only killed himself. The source said that the three soldiers were slightly wounded. Hamas movement claimed responsibility for the operation.

Meantime, Palestinian medical and security sources said that 25 Palestinians were injured by the bullets of the Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun and the Israeli army destroyed yesterday the house of the executor of the Hebron operation.

In Cairo, the Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath said following a meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher that the Palestinian government wants to convince the Palestinian groups of a one year truce in order to give chance to implement the Roadmap. Shaath said " it is important in the current phase to intensify inter- Palestinian dialogue in order to reach a one year truce."

On the other hand, the secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa rejected the condemnation of the Palestinian operations against Israel. Replying to questions put by journalists on his position concerning the "suicide operations," Mousa said following a meeting with Shaath "such operations are natural as long as the Israeli occupation and aggression of the Palestinians remain."

Previous Stories:
  Three Palestinian operations in Jerusalem, Hebron, nine Israelis killed, 8 Palestinians killed   (5/19/2003)
  Oreikat resigns on the wake of Abu Mazin - Sharon meeting   (5/17/2003)
  Five Palestinians killed in Beit Hanoun invasion, Powell asks for concessions   (5/16/2003)
  Powell calls for honoring living conditions of Palestinians, Sharon calls on Abbas to fight Intifada, one Palestinian killed   (5/12/2003)

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