VARIOUS: SIX PALESTINIAN SUSPECTED MILITANTS KILLED IN ISRAELI HELICOPTER MISSILE STRIKE IN GAZA/ ISRAELI FORCES SURROUND YASSER ARAFAT'S RAMALLAH HEADQUARTERS

Record ID: 640747

  • Title: VARIOUS: SIX PALESTINIAN SUSPECTED MILITANTS KILLED IN ISRAELI HELICOPTER MISSILE STRIKE IN GAZA/ ISRAELI FORCES SURROUND YASSER ARAFAT'S RAMALLAH HEADQUARTERS
  • Date: 24th June 2002
  • Summary: (U6) JERUSALEM (JUNE 24, 2002) (REUTERS) LV: HUNDREDS PRAYING AT WESTERN WALL VARIOUS OF JEWISH WORSHIPPERS AT THE WAILING WALL (3 SHOTS) Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 9th July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RAMALLAH, JENIN, BETHLEHEM AND NABLUS; WEST BANK / RAFAH AND GAZA CITY; GAZA STRIP / JERUSALEM / TEL-AVIV AND BEIT-SHEMESH; ISRAEL
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVABXJDCFN9G1YJJZF2GKETM77DR
  • Story Text: Israeli forces have killed six Palestinians in a helicopter missile strike on a car carrying suspected militants in the Gaza Strip and surrounded Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
    In an apparent response to intense Israeli and international pressure to rein in militants, the Palestinian Authority has imposed a house arrest order on Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the wheelchair-bound founder and spiritual mentor of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
    Helicopters fired at least four missiles at a car travelling on the outskirts of southern Gaza's Rafah refugee camp on Monday (June 24), leaving the vehicle a burning wreck and scattering body parts around it, witnesses said.
    The missile strike was the latest in a spasm of violence that has complicated plans by U.S. President George W. Bush to deliver a speech expected to outline a path to a Palestinian state. U.S. officials said he could make the speech on Monday.
    The attack in Gaza appeared to be the latest strike in Israel's policy of killing Palestinian militants it blames for suicide bombings and shooting attacks against Israelis in a 21-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation.
    The two senior militants killed in Monday's Gaza strike were identified by Hamas as Yassir Rezik and Amar Quffa.
    Some 20,000 Palestinians marched in the funeral procession of the six men killed in the Rafah attack. Scores of Palestinian militants wearing black masks over their faces and brandishing arms headed the march firing shots in the air, as thousands of mourners shouted anti-Israeli slogans and waved Palestinian flags.
    Shortly before the attack in Rafah, Israel sent columns of tanks into Ramallah and surrounded Arafat's presidential headquarters, already battered from fighting previous Israeli army incursions into the city just north of Jerusalem.
    Ramallah is the sixth Palestinian city to be taken over in the past week by Israel, which has said it will reoccupy Palestinian-ruled areas and hold them until Palestinian suicide bombings and shooting attacks end.
    In Jenin, Israeli troops fired in the air to disperse Palestinian children and peace activists attempting to prevent tank movements around the town.
    Dozens of youths jeered at the soldiers as they went along the ruined streets of the town quickly dispersing when tanks rolled in. They were replaced by international peace activists who took up positions in front of the tanks. The soldiers responded by firing live ammunition into the air to disperse them.
    The troops earlier attacked two buildings in Jenin - one which they said was hiding a bomb-making factory and the other a commercial building housing the Cairo-Amman bank.
    In Nablus, which suffered extensive shelling on Sunday (June 23) Israeli forces lifted the curfew for four hours to allow residents to stock up on food supplies and let students sit for their end of year high school exams.
    Israel announced its policy against Palestinians after two suicide bombings in Jerusalem last week killed 26 Israelis and called up about 2,000 reservists to assist its offensive.
    Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, attending a ruling Likud party meeting in Jerusalem on Monday, said he intended to keep his forces in the Palestinian cities "for an extended period of time".
    "(The latest events) led us to carry out a massive military operation against concentrations of terrorism in the Judea and Samaria territories. Now, in the framework of the activity, there has been a massive entry into all the (Palestinian) cities, we positioned ourselves in these cities for an extended period of time, with no time limit," Sharon said.
    He also said Israeli forces were not re-occupying the West Bank, but rather, were establishing a presence there intended to prevent and arrest Palestinian militants.
    Arafat is under intense Israeli and international pressure to rein in militants and overhaul the Palestinian Authority.
    In an apparent response to that pressure, the Palestinian Authority put Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the wheelchair-bound founder and spiritual mentor of the Islamic militant group Hamas, under house arrest in Gaza City early on Monday.
    The house arrest was imposed "to safeguard the ultimate national interests of the Palestinian people," a Palestinian security official told Reuters, adding that the decision was issued from Arafat's office. But, with Hamas enjoying strong grass-roots support, it was unclear how effective the measures would be. Palestinian police kept their distance from Yassin's house, which was ringed by dozens of armed Hamas members on Monday, witnesses said.
    One man was shot and wounded when police broke up a march by dozens of Hamas supporters near Yassin's house, Hamas members and hospital officials said.
    Police said the Hamas supporters opened fire, but the protesters said the police started the shooting.
    Yassin is paralysed and partly blind and deaf. He told Reuters shortly after the announcement of the house arrest order that he would not obey it.
    "The US has given Israel the green light to attack Palestinians and it supports the Palestinian Authority's attacks on the Palestinian people who are struggling against occupation. The Palestinian Authority should be aware that this decision is completely unacceptable, " Yassin said.
    The Palestinian Authority last imposed house arrest on Yassin in December, but Israeli officials dismissed it as a ploy and restrictions on his movements were gradually lifted.
    Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction and its militants have claimed responsibility for suicide attacks which have killed scores of Israelis.
    The Israeli military has introduced the new Merkava-4 tank.
    And in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, Israeli troops detained two Palestinians suspected for intending to carry out a suicide bombing.
    Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, hundreds of religious Jews gathered for a mass prayer at the Wailing Wall to pray for peace.
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