A Hamas activist was shot dead Thursday by Israeli gunfire in a village west of Ramallah, Israel Radio reported. Elsewhere, Israeli occupying forces stormed the West Bank town of Ya’bad, near Jenin, Palestinian sources said.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian child was killed by Israeli gunfire Thursday when troops shot at three children - aged 7, 8 and 12.
Meanwhile, police in Israel on Thursday were on high alert after Palestinian groups vowed revenge for the deaths of 15 Palestinians on Wednesday during two separate raids by the Israeli Army in the Gaza Strip.
Police set up roadblocks at the entrances to Jerusalem, while public transportation security personnel were ordered to be extra watchful, Haaretz newspapaer said.
Hamas warned Thursday that it would strike Israelis everywhere in retaliation. One of the resistance movement's leaders, Mahmoud Zahar, told Israel Radio that the military wing had urged all of its cells in Gaza Strip and the West Bank to attack.
"The military wing expects that the operations will be there [Israel] at any time," Zahar said.
For his part, Ismail Hanieh, a spokesman for Hamas, warned Palestinian officials not to hold meetings with officials from the Israeli "enemy". He said that what happened on Wednesday in Gaza Strip reflected the continuation of Israel's policy of "massacres" against the Palestinian people.
Hanieh made these comments after Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said the Gaza raids endangered attempts to revive long-stalled peace talks. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
