Saturday, November 24, 2001 Kislev 9, 5762 Israel Time: 03:57 (GMT+2)
12:35 23/11/2001 Last update - 00:07 24/11/2001
3 Palestinians killed in IDF strike near Nablus in West Bank
By Amos Harel, Ha'aretz Correspondent, Ha'aretz Service and agencies
Three Palestinian activists were killed Friday night when IDF helicopters fired at least two missiles on a car next to the village of Kfar Farah, close to the West Bank city of Nablus.
Two of the dead have been identified as Hamas activists, Mahmoun Rashid Hashaika, and his brother, Ahmed, from the village of Tallouza near Nablus. Palestinian sources said that the third man could be Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, who is on Israel's most-wanted list.
Israeli sources said that Hanoud was the apparent target of the strike, but Palestinian officials could not confirm that he was among the dead. Mahmoud Azahar, a senior Hamas activist in the Gaza Strip, told Abu Dhabi Television after the attack that Hanoud was still alive.
The IDF declined to comment on the incident. Nablus governor Mahmoud al-Aloul said the killing was a "new crime" by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "It is clear that Sharon insists on the continuation of his aggression and... in aborting all the attempts to cool down the conflict," he told Reuters.
DPA reported that two of the militants were killed immediately and the third was shot dead from the helicopter as he tried to escape the scene. |
