Israeli helicopters attacked two targets in the Gaza Strip and soldiers returned to the West Bank city of Jenin late Saturday night after 19 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew herself up in a popular Haifa restaurant earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, according to sources in Jenin, Israeli troops demolished the suicide bomber's house early Sunday. No casualties were reported. According to the sources, family members of suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat, 29, evacuated the house Saturday night, following the attack, from fear it would be destroyed.
Israel's Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz met Saturday night with Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon and other security officials, and ordered the army to undertake a number of steps.
These responses, according to Israeli security sources, will involve stepped up military activity in "seam areas" and their aim will be to stop "terrorists" from crossing in border areas where there are no fences.
Selective assassinations of senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad men in the Gaza Strip could also be resumed, the security sources added.
Israeli helicopters fired two missiles at a small house near the beach in Gaza City early Sunday, and helicopters also fired missiles in a Gaza refugee camp, witnesses said.
The house is located near the Gaza beach and Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat's residence, the witnesses added.
The house belonged to the Kanita family, one of Gaza's largest, but it was empty at the time of the attack. Mohammed Kanita, a member of the family, said it had been uninhabited for a long time.
Ambulances arrived at the scene, but there were no casualties. Large crowds of people gathered at the scene, witnesses said.
A few minutes later, Israeli helicopters fired three missiles at Palestinian fighters near a house in the Al-Boureij refugee camp in central Gaza, residents said. The house belonged to an Islamic Jihad leader, Morshed Shahin, but residents said he escaped the attack. No casualties were reported, but damage was caused.
The Gaza missile strike followed a meeting between Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and high-ranking military and security officers, discussing a response to the suicide bombing, however no decisions were announced.
The witnesses said one missile sent smoke rising above the city, the biggest in the Gaza Strip, but could not immediately say what the targets were and had no word of any casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, late Saturday night, Israeli forces returned to
Jenin and imposed a curfew, only days after troops stationed in the West Bank city had left.
Palestinian sources said Saturday that the Israeli army imposed a curfew on Jenin and its refugee camp, and beefed up forces around the city.
In the meantime, Palestinian Prime Minister designate Ahmed Qurei called Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav to express his sorrow over the bombing and to condemn it. In addition, Qurei issued a statement condemning the bombing and also urged Palestinian groups to cease attacks on Israeli civilians.
"Mr. Qurei urged the Palestinian people and all its national and Islamic factions to practise self restraint and to fully halt these actions that target civilians and harm our legitimate and just national struggle," his office said in a statement.
In his statement, Qurei also called on Israel to end the oppression of the Palestinians and to cease its efforts to strike at the leaders of the various Palestinian groups.
Elsewhere, dozens of Israeli and foreign peace activists arrived Saturday night at Palestinian Yasser Arafat's Headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah to act as "human shields" should Israeli troops invade the compound to "remove" Arafat.
Around thirty members of the Israeli "Peace Bloc" movement arrived at the Ramallah compound as the movement's leader, Uri Avnery told reporters his group was there, "first and foremost to protect Israel from the catastrophe that would occur if Arafat were to be exiled, or killed." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
