At least 32 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and at least 108 injured, the highest single-day Palestinian casualty count in four months. 72 Palestinians, ranging in age from 10 to 60, were wounded by gunfire in Jabalia camp over a period of just six hours, a hospital official said Thursday. Meanwhile, three Israelis - including a woman jogging in a Jewish settlement and two soldiers - were killed in the fighting in the northern Gaza Strip.
In the deadliest incident, an Israeli tank fired a shell toward a group of Palestinian gunmen, killing at least seven people and wounding 20, many of them critically, hospital doctors said.
For its part, the Palestinian leadership said that the Israeli on-going attacks on the Palestinian cities is an atrocious occupation of the Palestinian territories.
In Ramallah meeting, led by President Arafat, the PLO Executive Committee and representatives of Palestinian organisations said that the Israeli Government talks about withdrawal from Gaza to "catch the eyes of the world from its basic plan of destroying the peace process."
The Leadership added that the Israeli basic plan targets imposing facts on the ground far from the signed accords, especially the Road Map plan, and the international legitimacy.
It stressed the international community, including the Quartet Committee, should shoulder "human, political and legal" responsibility to end the Israeli terror.
The Leadership also called on the international community to respond to the Palestinian appeals on ending the Israeli occupation of the 1967 Palestinian territories and to establish the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its Capital.
It denounced "all military acts against Palestinian and Israeli civilians", declaring that the Israeli horrible aggressions, including the construction of the Apartheid Wall, will not oblige the Palestinian Leadership to change its attitude of commitment to the reviving the peace process.
An Israeli soldier was killed early Thursday and two wounded, one of them seriously, after Hamas fighters attacked their post in the northern Gaza Strip. For their part, Palestinian medical sources said at least three people were killed early Thursday in Jabalia refugee camp.
Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was quoted Thursday as ordering the army to "do everything" in order to put an end to Qassam fire, after two children were killed from these rockets in the town of Sderot on Wednesday evening. Sharon has ordered Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and army chief Moshe Ya'alon to dispatch additional reinforcements to the Strip and to create a buffer zone to counter Qassam firings, Israel Radio reported Thursday.
In the pre-dawn Thursday incident, two Palestinians armed with grenades and assault rifles attacked an Israeli position east of Beit Hanun. One Israeli soldier killed and two were wounded. The two Palestinians were killed in an ensuing exchange of fire.
Hamas claimed the Thursday attack on the outpost. "Two of our martyrs-in-waiting carried out the attack against an
Israeli army camp in eastern Jabalia camp. The two martyrs were members of Ezzedeenn al-Qassam Brigades," a Hamas spokesman said.
Also in the Strip, two Israeli settlers were shot dead on Thursday, when a Palestinian fighter attacked the settlement of "Nisanit". At least another settler was reported wounded. Israel Radio said that the Palestinian attacker was later shot dead. (albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
