Two Fatah activists were shot dead Sunday noon in the Balata refugee camp, located near the West Bank city of Nablus.
According to eyewitnesses, cited by WAFA, special Israeli forces raided the camp and killed Zuhair Mahmoud Awis, 22. The father of the dead man was killed some three months ago after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces. Later, another Palestinian was shot dead.
In a related development, Israeli police forces intensified alerts on Sunday for possible "terror attacks" in response to an Israeli assassination attack Saturday night, in which three Islamic Jihad operatives were killed.
Top Islamic Jihad official Mohammed al-Hindi said attacks on Israel would continue despite the helicopter gunship strike in the northern end of Gaza City.
In addition, the Palestinian movement urged Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei [Abu Ala] to decline a possible invitation to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Islamic Jihad leader Abdallah al-Shami, vowing to avenge a Saturday assassination strike declared Sunday that "The coming days will be the blackest days in Israel's history."
Al-Shami was speaking at a memorial service in a Gaza mosque for the Islamic Jihad members.
In the framework of the heightened alert status, Palestinian workers were barred Sunday morning from passing through Erez terminal in the northern Gaza Strip for jobs in Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli security forces arrested three Palestinian youths who "planned to carry out a suicide attack" out of rage over Israel's West Bank fence, relatives said Sunday.
The teenagers, aged 13 and 14, were among the youngest ever arrested for planning "suicide attacks".
Mohammed Abu Muhsen said his 13-year-old son, Tarek, along with his friends, Jaffer Hussein, 13, and Ibrahim Suafta, 14, left a letter saying they planned to carry out a shooting attack at an Israeli military checkpoint or army base, he said.
For her part, Tarek's mother expressed outrage at Islamic Jihad for conscripting such young boys to their ranks. "My son doesn't know how to write such a letter and never belonged to any groups. Someone older wrote this letter for him," said his mother, Amira Abu Muhsen, according to the AP.
The 13-year-olds claimed to be members of Islamic Jihad, while Suafta said he belonged to the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, family members said. The boys were arrested last Thursday.
"I want to carry out an attack against (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon's fence. This fence, we will blow it up also, the Islamic Jihad youth movement," Tarek wrote in the letter. "We want you to give out candies and don't cry for us and hold a big demonstration." he added.
Mohammed Abu Muhsen said two men in their mid-20s looked for his young son last week and he didn't know why. "Now I know why they were looking for my young son," Abu Muhsen said.
"I will complain to the Palestinian intelligence to find whoever wanted to send my son ... I have to find out who these people are who wanted to send my son, my
young son." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
