Four Israelis were killed Saturday morning after two Palestinian fighters infiltrated a West Bank settlement, west of Hebron.
The Palestinians, disguised as Israeli soldiers, opened fire on the residents of Adora settlement, killing the four and wounding wounding seven others, Israel Radio reported.
According to reports, the Palestinians stormed into a house in the settlement and opened fire on the family inside. They shot dead a 5-year-old girl, the Israeli army said. Then they went into a second house and shot its residents.
"The attack this morning against Israeli citizens in the West Bank proves that terror has not yet been eradicated," Israeli government spokesman Aryeh Mekel said.
A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that responsibility for the attack should be placed on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and the PA.
Palestinian Cabinet secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman, however, blamed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's military campaign against Palestinians.
"All Palestinian people have been provoked everywhere in the Palestinian territories," Abdel Rahman said, urging an immediate Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. "This operation that happened today proved that the Israeli military solution is not useful and cannot prevent the Palestinian resistance."
The Israeli army said that the Palestinian gunmen managed to escape, and started to search for them in the nearby village of Tufah.
Palestinian sources said that a large number of troops were positioned around the village. North of Tufah, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian armed with an M-16 assault rifle. reported Israel Radio. Troops were in pursuit of other Palestinians, it added.
In Hebron, Palestinian security officers abandoned their buildings, expecting an Israeli reprisal.
In Gaza Strip, Israeli troops spotted someone moving toward Israeli territory early Saturday and shot him. A daylight search found he was armed with a knife and a copy of the Quran.(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
