NABLUS, Jan 22: Israeli troops killed four Palestinian guerillas on Tuesday when they stormed an apartment building in a sweep in Nablus and tanks withdrew from nearby Tulkarm a day after taking it over.
The army said it killed four members of the Hamas in a gunbattle, the latest in a spiral of violence that has all but wrecked US-led peace efforts, but a Palestinian official said troops killed the men “in cold blood”.
Bodies were found scattered throughout the apartment, where walls were blackened by explosions and mattresses were soaked with blood, witnesses said.
The army said it found a bomb laboratory during the raid. But a Hamas leader called it a “dangerous escalation” and said the movement should reconsider its freeze on attacks in Israel.
“I think it is time for a real evaluation in order to convince the occupier that such a crime will not pass without punishment,” said Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas political leader in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian police fired teargas at about 600 stonethrowing protesters who broke into a Nablus prison during a demonstration to demand the release of Palestinian guerillas who were jailed on President Yasser Arafat’s orders under US-led pressure.
The crowd burst through the prison gate, throwing stones and empty bottles at police and demanding the release of the 25 held inside.
One person was shot and wounded, and another three were wounded by stones. Palestinian police fired bullets into the air and at least one stun grenade at the crowd, which burned three police vehicles.
Israeli troops backed by a tank and armoured vehicles stormed the 10-storey apartment building in Nablus before dawn, going from room toroom in search of guerillas, witnesses said.
The army said the raid was in retaliation for a Palestinian attack which killed six people at a party in the Israeli town of Hadera last week. A group attached to Arafat’s Fatah movement said that attack avenged the killing of one of its leaders.
“To all appearances the terrorists planned to carry out attacks in the near future,” the Israeli army said.
Both sides said four guerillas were killed at the apartment but differed on how they died. Mahmoud al-Alul, the governor of Nablus, said:
“The men were killed in cold blood. They raided an apartment and killed people in their beds.”
Palestinian witnesses said the four bodies were not found in their beds but in separate places — two in a living room, one in a bathroom and one at the entrance to the basement. A bathtub was found smeared with blood.
Israel and the Palestinians have often exchanged accusations about violent incidents since the Palestinian uprising began 16 months ago.
TULKARM WITHDRAWAL: Israeli forces began pulling out of Tulkarm on Tuesday, leaving houses taken over in a 30-hour raid in which the army arrested guerillas.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks maintained their positions in a nearby Palestinian-ruled village, and the army said its forces would continue to encircle the city.
“They are preparing the ground for the resumption of full occupation,” Palestinian minister Saeb Erekat said. “(Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon is playing with a huge, huge fire.”
Israeli forces have repepatedly entered Palestinian areas since the start of the uprising, sometimes holding them for weeks at a time despite international condemnation.
But Palestinian officials said the Tulkarm incursion was the first “reoccupation” of an entire city since the revolt began.—Reuters
NABLUS, Jan 22: Israeli troops killed four Palestinian guerillas on Tuesday when they stormed an apartment building in a sweep in Nablus and tanks withdrew from nearby Tulkarm a day after taking it over.
