JERUSALEM (Islamweb & News Agencies) - Israeli occupation forces killed six Palestinians during a tank incursion into a Palestinian-ruled area of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, retaliating for a deadly raid by Islamic Resistance on an internationally illegal Jewish settlement.Washington issued an appeal to both sides to rein in the what it calls violence, which dealt a grave blow to its efforts to end the fighting as it tries to draw Arab nations into an anti-terror alliance after last month's attacks on New York and Washington. (Read photo caption below)
The Israeli army action in Gaza was launched after Islamic Resistance men attacked the internationally illegal Jewish settlement of Alei Sinai on Tuesday night, killing two Israelis.
Confrontations also spread to the West Bank, where Palestinian Resistance men fired into a crowd of thousands of Jewish settlers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the predominantly Palestinian city of Hebron, wounding two Israeli settlers, one seriously, the occupation army said.
Palestinian Resistance men later opened fire on an Israeli car in the West Bank just outside Jerusalem, wounding two people, one seriously, Israeli occupation authorities and radio said. Sporadic gun battles erupted in other parts of the West Bank and Gaza.
Four Palestinian policemen and two other Palestinians were killed when Israeli occupation army tanks and bulldozers rolled into a Palestinian-ruled area of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after the raid on Alei Sinai.
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo accused Israel of using any pretext to undermine the cease-fire reaffirmed a week ago during talks between Arafat and Peres.
PHOTO CAPTION:
A Palestinian, wounded in his neck, is evacuated from the area during an exchange of fire between Palestinian and Israeli occupation forces in the town of Beit Lahia, facing the internationally illegal Jewish settlement of Alei Sinai, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001. Israel and the Palestinians traded blame, with each side accusing the other of violating a truce declared last week. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)
- Oct 03 6:54 AM ET