As Israelis began voting in a general election Tuesday there was new bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, when a blast tore through the home of a Palestinian member of Hamas, killing three people.
Palestinian officials blamed the explosion on an Israeli missile strike, but Israeli security sources denied any link to the blast. Israeli radio stations said they were killed while preparing a bomb.
One of the dead is known to be Mohammed Atel, the bodyguard of senior Hamas official Ismail Abu Shanab.The other two dead were his children, Sabrin, a 15-year-old girl, and Mohammed, 17, hospital officials said.
The blast leveled a one-story building in a new part of Sheik Radwan neighborhood, near the Gaza seacoast.
An eyewitness said "Two Apache helicopters were flying around for two hours, and suddenly we heard a big explosion."
Hamas leader, Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi blamed the explosion on the missile from an Israeli helicopter. The Israeli army admitted that helicopters had operated in the area. It said that missiles had been fired into an open area in order to prevent Palestinians from firing Qassam rockets into Israeli territory.
"We hold the Zionist entity and the criminal Sharon fully responsible for this new crime which targeted Palestinian children," he said. "Sharon is offering this crime as a present for the election." He said that Hamas would hit back with attacks in Israeli cities.
Neighbors said the house belonged to Ihab Salameh, a supporter of Hamas.
Late Monday, the Israeli army shot and killed two Palestinians near Atzmona, a settlement in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, the two were armed. Military sources also reported shooting incidents near Rafah.
Palestinian sources reported Tuesday morning that four Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Jenin. According to the sources, the Israeli army has been carrying out searches in the city since the early hours of the morning and gunfights broke out. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in the clashes.
Meanwhile, final opinion polls showed Ariel Sharon's right-wing Likud set to increase its strength to 30 to 33 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while its main opponent, the center-left Labor Party led by Amram Mitzna, was forecast falling to 18 or 19.
Voting began under heavy security at 7 a.m. (0500GMT) at 7,966 polling stations. The ballot will close at 10 p.m. (2000GMT) when the results of exit polls will be televised. Unofficial near-final results should be made public early on Wednesday. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
