Three Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
The Israeli forces reimposed a travel ban on the Gaza Strip on Monday despite its pledge to visiting U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to remove the ban as a gesture towards the Palestinians.
After talks with Powell on Sunday, the Israeli government had agreed to release 180 Palestinian detainees and allow 25,000 Palestinian laborers to enter Israel, security sources said.
But shortly after the Israeli measures were announced, the army reinstated a ban on Palestinian travel in and out of the Gaza Strip, citing security concerns, effectively freezing a decision on Sunday to allow Gaza laborers to travel in and out.
It was not clear how long the ban would stay in effect. Israeli political sources said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would likely meet Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas before the end of the week to discuss the plan. They said security talks had secretly resumed between the sides last week.
Early on Monday, Israeli occupation troops killed two Palestinians in southern Gaza when they tried to lay a landmine against advancing tanks, and the army witnesses said.
In a separate incident, a Palestinian farmer working on his land was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers guarding the nearby Jewish settlement of Ganei Tal in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said. The occupation army had no immediate comment.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces demolished two Palestinian-owned houses in Rafah, blew up and rased several roads in the area on the pretext of the existence of tunnels there.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces arrested yesterday at dawn four Palestinian citizens during raid and mopping-up operations in the West Bank.
Palestinian security sources said that two Palestinians were arrested in the refugee camp of Lyda near Bethlehem and two in Ein Yabroud in the Ramallah district.
On the other hand, the Israeli occupation forces intensified their presence throughout the occupied city of Jerusalem in anticipation of Palestinian operations against Israeli targets.