Israeli helicopter gunships raided Palestinian positions in the West Bank town of Ramallah and Gaza Strip shortly after two Israeli soldiers were killed by angry Palestinian crowds in Ramallah.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said that the Israeli aggression is a "declaration of war," reported CNN.
Israel’s navy forces also bombed the Palestinian navy headquarters and force 17 in Gaza, according to Al-Jazira TV Channel.
In Ramallah, the TV reported that 16 Palestinians were injured during the attack on the police center, adding that confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli troops have erupted in the city.
It featured pictures of Israeli helicopters striking what was believed to be a Palestinian security post, where the two Israeli soldiers were initially held before Palestinian protestors managed to capture and kill them.
The CNN reported that three Israeli tanks were shelling the town. There was no immediate word on casualties following the attacks.
The two soldiers had driven into the town disguised in civilian clothes during a funeral of a Palestinian who was killed earlier during clashes with Israeli troops. The soldiers’ car was reported packed with weapons and ammunition, but was discovered.
The Israeli cabinet met immediately following the incident and warned the Palestinian leadership to evacuate its offices in Ramallah. The Israeli army was put on a sate of alert as the situation deteriorated, leaving the town and its residents on a high state of readiness.
The Palestinian police leader, Brigadier Abdul Razzaq Majaideh had denied that there had received any warning from the Israeli leadership to evacuate their positions in Ramallah.
The Israeli air and land attacks cast a heavy shadow on current diplomatic efforts to bring an end to two weeks of bloody confrontations in the Palestinian lands and inside Israel that have left over 100 Palestinians end and thousands injured -- (Several Source)
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