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Israel attack Hamas, 8 killed

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, August 1, 2001

RAMALLAH Ñ Israel has struck what Palestinian sources termed the headquarters of the Hamas movement in the West Bank.

Six Hamas members, including two regarded as leaders of the movement, were killed in an Israeli missile attack in on a seven-story building in Nablus on Tuesday. Three missiles were fired by Israeli attack helicopters and entered the third floor, Palestinian sources said.

The Israeli attack was the harshest blow sustained by the Islamic movement since the start of the September war between Israel and the Palestinians. The sources said two children were also killed in the attack. "After this incident, there is no ceasefire," Fatah leader Hussein Sheik said. "We are in war."

Israeli military sources acknowledged the attack. They said Hamas leaders in Nablus were responsible for the killing of 37 Israelis and were planning an additional bombing campaign in Israel.

The Hamas leaders were identified as Jamal Salim and Jamal Mansour. Salim was said to have been the liasion between Hamas's political and military wings.

The Jewish state has been rocked by a series of bombings and shootings over the last 48 hours. Israeli sources said the offensive was ordered by Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, currently on tour of the Arab world.

"To my knowledge, the Palestinian Authority has given its green light for attacks in Israel," Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz said.

The PA has declared a day of mourning on Thursday in wake of the Israeli attack. PA officials said Hamas would avenge the killings.

The United States and several Western countries condemned the Israeli attack.

Earlier, a Palestinian police officer and an Islamic Jihad militant were killed in clashes with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas pledged revenge for the Israeli attack and its supporters scuffled with PA officers amid protests of the killings. Demonstrators demanded the execution of suspected Palestinian collaborators with Israel and stoned PA installations in several West Bank cities.

On Wednesday, a bomb exploded in Jerusalem's downtown district. Nobody was hurt.

Five Israelis were also wounded in an ambush near Ramallah. Palestinian gunners fired toward the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo and toward Jewish settlements throughout the Gaza Strip. About 20 mortar shells were fired toward the settlements.

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