VARIOUS: ISRAELI TROOPS USE TEAR GAS TO CONTROL PALESTINIAN CROWD AT CHECKPOINT/ HAMAS LEADER SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE RESISTANCE

Record ID: 640698

  • Title: VARIOUS: ISRAELI TROOPS USE TEAR GAS TO CONTROL PALESTINIAN CROWD AT CHECKPOINT/ HAMAS LEADER SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE RESISTANCE
  • Date: 15th June 2002
  • Summary: (U3) JENIN, WEST BANK (JUNE 15, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ISRAELI ARMY APCS DRIVING NEAR JENIN (2 SHOTS) (U4) HEBRON, WEST BANK (JUNE 15, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, ISRAELI SOLDIERS RELEASING AND KICKING TEARGAS GRENADE IN FRONT OF PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS ( 2 SHOTS) VARIOUS. ISRAELI SOLDIER STANDING BY /TEARGAS GRENADE GOING OFF/ SMOKE ACROSS ROAD SLV ISRAELI SOLDIER HOLDING CROWD BACK SMV /SCU PALESTINIAN GIRL CRYING (2 SHOTS) SLV ISRAEL MILITARY VEHICLE ARRIVING WIDE OF PALESTINIAN CROWD LEAVING AREA VARIOUS CROWD LEAVING AND WALKING PAST ISRAELI SOLDIER AIMING GUN IN AIR VARIOUS, CROWD RUNNING FROM EFFECTS OF TEAR GAS (2 SHOTS) SMV CLOUD OF TEAR GAS BILLOWING BEHIND WALL SMV OLD MAN SITTING ON GROUND OVERCOME BY TEAR GAS SLV WOMAN CARRIED AWAY BY PALESTINIAN MEN (W8) GAZA (JUNE 15, 2002) (REUTERS) WIDE OF HAMAS LEADER ABDUL AZIZ AL-RANTISSI SEATED SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) HAMAS LEADER ABDEL AZIZ AL-RANTISSI SAYING: "We are under occupation as long as the Israeli occupation there will be resistance and we in the Islamic resistence movement said many times before, enough, enough is enough and they should leave. Without that, we will continue our operations against the occupation because they are murderers and terrorists and we should resist them and we will continue in our resistance." CLOSE OF HANDS SCU SOUNDBITE) (English) HAMAS LEADER ABDEL AZIZ AL-RANTISSI SAYING: "We give chance for political movemnets for negotiations, but without results, and so, yes, the Hamas will continue resistence and it is up to the occupiers. They should leave and then the Hamas will stop its operations." WIDE OF RANTISSI SITTING ON COACH AT HOME
  • Embargoed: 30th June 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HEBRON / JENIN, WEST BANK / GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVAED4SHEI8WD240RJE7DKJZL5BD
  • Story Text: A small contingent of Israeli troops entered the West Bank city of Jenin briefly, declaring a curfew and searching for suspected Palestinian militants. Israeli soldiers fired teargas canisters to control a crowd of mostly Palestinian women and children at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron. The militant group Hamas has claimed responsibility for a battle that erupted between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops in the Jewish settlement of Dugit in northern Gaza.
    Armoured vehicles and jeeps entered Jenin in the northern West Bank before dawn on Saturday (June 15), under cover of heavy machinegun fire.
    No one was arrested or injured in the raid that lasted five hours.
    The Israeli army said a patrol was sent into Jenin following intelligence warnings that militants were about to launch an attack against Israel from the city.
    The army has regularly raided Palestinian-ruled towns, cities, villages and refugee camps in operations which it says are intended to seek-out militants and halt the suicide attacks.
    Israeli forces have entered Jenin several times since heavy fighting broke out in the city and its adjacent refugee camp in April during a major Israeli military offensive across the West Bank that failed to halt the suicide bombings.
    The pre-dawn raid was the latest in a series of almost-daily incursions into Palestinian-ruled territory that have maintained pressure on Palestinian militant groups as U.S. President George W. Bush works on a peace initiative after 20 months of conflict.
    Later, Israeli soldiers fired several shots into the air and threw three tear gas canisters near about 200 Palestinians, many of them women and children, trying to cross at a checkpoint near Hebron on Saturday (June 15).
    The people crossing included families trying to return to their village and labourers returning from work.
    A man and several women fainted during the the incident.
    The militant Islamic Hamas group has claimed responsibility for a gun battle that wounded four Israeli soldiers late on Saturday (June 15) near the Jewish settlement of Dugit in the northern Gaza Strip.
    Senior Hamas leader Abdel Azziz al-Rantissi said the battle was part of the groups fight against Israeli occupation. Hamas does not recognise Israel's right to exist and is committed to destroying the Jewish state.
    "We are under occupation as long as the Israeli occupation there will be resistance and we in the Islamic resistence movement said many times before, enough, enough is enough and they should leave. Without that, we will continue our operations against the occupation because they are murderers and terrorists and we should resist them and we will continue in our resistance," he said.
    The clash with Israeli troops took place shortly after soldiers found a car bomb loaded with 150 kilograms (330 pounds) in what the army said was an elaborate attempt to ambush Israeli troops patrolling in the area.
    The Jewish settlements in northern Gaza have been a flashpoint for fighting since a Palestinian uprising against occupation began in September 2000 after peace talks stalled.
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