On the ground: Jenin: Israeli forces shot dead at least five Palestinian gunmen yesterday in a raid on their hideout in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, raising to 10 the number of militants killed in the past two days.
The Palestinian Authority accused Israel of stepping up military action against the 2½-year-old Palestinian uprising for an independent state as world attention focuses on a possible US war on Iraq.
Witnesses said Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships took part in the push into Jenin refugee camp, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in a military sweep through the West Bank nearly a year ago after suicide bombings in Israel.
"We broke into a house containing four wanted men, who were armed," Brig-Gen Gershon Yitzhak, a regimental commander, told Israel Radio.
"The [Israeli Duvdevan unit commandos\] beat them to the punch and shot them. An armed guard on the roof who threatened the force was also shot. In all, five terrorists were killed."
Mr Yitzhak said a sixth Palestinian gunman was shot while trying to flee the scene but the army did not know if he was killed. Israeli military sources said the militants had fired at the troops but Mr Yitzhak made no mention of Palestinian shooting.
"We found weapons, many ammunition clips, Israeli army uniforms and ammunition belts in the house," he said.
Ms Umm Bassam, who lives several metres from the house, said the raid began with three helicopters showering the dwelling with heavy machine gun fire before tanks and armoured vehicles moved in.
Four of the men belonged to the Islamic Jihad group and one was from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Palestinian hospital officials said. - (Reuters)