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3 Israeli soldiers killed in tanks explosion, 12 Palestinians assassinated by Israelis
Palestine-Israel, Military, 3/15/2002 Some 12 Palestinians were shot on Thursday in assassination operations and during clashes in the West Bank between the Palestinians and the Israeli forces.
Four Palestinian were killed when their car was detonated near Toulkarem town in the West Bank in an explosion over which Palestinian security sources held Israel responsible for.
A Palestinian security source said that a sedan car was running in a village near Toulkarem when it was detonated and "we do not know whether this car was booby trapped by the Israelis or it was hit by an Israeli missile." The source added that at least two of the killed Palestinians are members in the Fatah movement led by the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Meantime, two members of al-Aqsa martyrs group, close to the Fatah movement were killed on Thursday and a third was wounded by missiles fired by an Israeli Apache helicopter at a farm in Antaba town near Toulkarem to the north of the West bank, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Chairman of Antaba municipality Hamdullah Hamdullah said that Muutasim Makhlouf ( 27 year old) was in that farm. A Palestinian medical source said that Maher al-Balbisi ( 21 year old).
Eye- witnesses said that 6 Israeli missiles were fired at the farm, targeted three activists of al-Aqsa martyrs groups and in the morning four Palestinian were killed including two member in the Palestinian security forces at the entrance of al-Amaari camp for the Palestinian refugees near Ramullah by the bullets of Israeli soldiers were stationed at a roof of a building On Thursday at night, the Palestinian security forces said that some 40 Israeli tanks were pulled out from Ramullah out of 100 tanks which were deployed in this city where the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat is stationed.
The Israeli radio said that the Israeli units which withdrew from Ramullah headed for Toulkarem ( north West Bank) following information talked about possible attacks by activist Palestinians. In the central part of Gaza three Israeli soldiers were killed and other two wounded in the morning in an explosion when an Israeli armored vehicle passed by near Natsareim settlement to the south of Gaza. Several Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for the operation. A statement by the People's Front For the Liberation of Palestine said that group of "Jihad al-Qassas martyr" in the contingent of "martyr Abu Ali Mustafa," the military wing of the People's Front was able to implant 50 Kgs of explosives on the high way between the cross- road of Salah Eddine street and what is called Natsareim settlement near al-Mighraqa mosque to the west. The Israeli military sources said that the explosive hit a vehicle including military cars which were escorting cars for the Israeli settlers, adding that the explosion destroyed the armed vehicle. The sources added that the explosives were detonated by remote control.
The Israeli army retaliated by incurring into the territories of the Palestinian self- rule area to the south of Natsareim, according to Palestinian officials. A large force of the Israeli army incurred for two kilometers in al-Mighraqa area to the south of Gaza amid intensive fire and carried out large scale inspection operations following the killing of three Israelis in an explosion in the area.Two centers for the Palestinian police were also destroyed during this operation. The Israeli army also demolished 8 Palestinian houses during this operation.
On the other hand, two Palestinians of the territories of 1948 were attacked by fire bullets of unidentified persons in Wadi al-Jouz quarters in East Jerusalem, according to police sources. |