Demonstrations in support of Arafat in Gaza, Ramullah, four Palestinians were killed in Jenin

A special Israeli forces yesterday assassinated four Palestinian activists and another fifth was strongly wounded in Jenin in the west Bank on Saturday. Al-Jazeera TV correspondent in the city, Ali al-Samoudi, and the photographer of Reuters were also wounded by the occupation bullets.

On the other hand, al-Aqsa group of the Palestinian Liberation Movement, Fatah, said in a statement that its members killed on Saturday in Toulkarem city one Palestinian collaborating with the occupation forces.

The statement explained that the assassination operation is the first of its kind after the chairman of the political bureau of the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas) Khaled Mashaal called for chasing the Palestinians collaborating with Israel.

In the same context the commander of the Israeli border guards gen. David Tsour said in an interview with the website of the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot on the Internet that Israeli agents infiltrated into inside Hamas movement, denying to disclose details.

These field developments came while thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza as an expression of their support for the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat following the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's threats to liquidate him.

Demonstrators gathered in front of the legislative council and took the streets towards the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency in Gaza and raised pictures for Arafat and chanted slogans deploring every one trying to hurt him. The demonstrations was attended by leaders from the Fatah movement and members of al-Aqsa group, the military wing of the movement.

In a short speech, before thousands of his supporters, who gathered in front of his headquarters, Arafat stressed he is steadfast before the threats of Sharon and his government and will continue his way until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital, stressing he is an "almost martyr" and "does not fear Sharon or his threats."