One Palestinian high ranking officer assassinated, 26 houses demolished
Tension prevailed in various parts of the Palestinian territories and 2 Palestinians were killed and 65 wounded by the Israeli bullets and strong confrontations took place between the Arab youths and the Israeli forces and the settlers.
The Palestinian teenager Bilal Ramadan (14 year old) was killed when the Israeli forces randomly opened fire on a palestinian aggregation near al-Mintar crossing in Gaza while other Arab citizens were wounded in a similar incident near " Nafe Dekalim" settlement also in Gaza where strong confrontations took place and one armed settler was wounded seriously.
The Palestinian Maj. Gen. Masoud Ayad working in force no 17 of Arafat guards was killed when two Israeli helicopters opened fire on the car which was taking him in Lahia town. He was killed and four Palestinians were wounded.
The Israeli army bombarded with heavy artillery the Palestinian citizens and their houses at Khan Younis camp while the fact finding commission was there, visiting the occupied Palestinian territories. An eye witness said that the Israeli soldiers positioned at al-Tuffah barrier to the west of Khan Younis near " Nafe Dekalim" settlement opened fire of their heavy artillery on the UN delegation whose members were listening to testimonies of the Palestinian citizens in one of the houses.
This deliberate bombardment resulted in wounding ten Palestinians and a journalist who was covering the visit of the delegation.
The Palestinian authority stressed that the Israeli army controlled a police center near Erez crossing.
The Israeli forces carried out a vast detention campaign in the cities of al-Khalil, Toulkarem and Ramullah and in the Gaza strip areas while armed settlers attacked an Arab aggregation near " Ghouse Etsoun" settlement to the east of Jerusalem and destroyed several cars and the Israeli forces interfered to protect the settlers and fired poisonous bombs against the Palestinian citizens.
The Israeli forces also besieged Mawas village while the bulldozers started to destroy the agricultural crops of the village following a warning to evacuate 26 houses for demolishing them but the citizens refused to leave their houses. The Palestinian Intifada teenagers detonated an explosive for the Israeli forces in Rafah in retaliation to the Israeli bombardment.
In a statement the united leadership of the Palestinian Intifada called on the Palestinians to consider yesterday ( Tuesday) and Friday a "people days of anger" against the Israeli occupation.
The statement said that the Palestinians are called upon to express their anger and opposition for the continued Israeli aggressions and the racist policy pursued by the Israeli government against them.
The statement also called on the world countries to make pressures on Israel to halt the policy of repression and terrorism and of confiscating properties and arresting the Palestinians who refuse the continued Israeli aggression and demand the restoration of their rights according to international legitimacy resolutions.
The statement warned against the policy to be pursued by the next Israeli government led by Sharon.
On the other hand the UN special coordinator Terry Larsen has called for lifting the embargo imposed by Israel on the Palestinian territories and stressed that this siege has inflicted great damages on the Palestinian economy that increased USD 1.5 billion.
Larsen added that the Israeli siege on the Palestinian territories increased unemployment rate from 11% to 38% and led to a collapse of the Palestinian national establishments.