Israeli helicopter gunships resumed the assault on Palestinian Authority’s local offices in the West Bank city of Hebron today as a standoff between the army and Palestinian suspects inside entered its second day.
Two US-made Apache helicopters went into action over the "moqataa" building housing the Palestinian leader Mr Arafat's offices early this morning.
Palestinians living next door to the hill-top building said troops backed by tanks and helicopters had pounded the white-stone edifice most of last evening and into the early hours this morning to smoke out wanted militants.
Israeli military officials told public radio yesterday they were looking for 15 to 20 militants from the Tanzim, a group linked to Mr Arafat's Fatah faction, entrenched inside the building.
The Israeli army has taken control of seven out of the eight key West Bank cities, including Hebron, imposing curfews in retaliation for two suicide bombings and an attack on a Jewish settlement that killed 31 Israelis last week.
Elsewhere an armed Palestinian was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops in the Ballata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus today, witnesses and a Palestinian security source said.
Mohammed Ayesh (17) fired on troops in a tank with a pistol and was killed by machine-gun fire, they said.
AFP