Oop's.... Hamas beats off Arafat's forces
Gunmen from the Palestinian militant group Hamas freed their leader soon after he was placed under house arrest by Palestinian security forces.
Hamas gunmen and security forces exchanged fire outside Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's Gaza City home before the security forces retreated.
Hamas has said it carried out the suicide bomb attacks on Israelis at the weekend which killed 25 people.
The arrest attempt came as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat asked for more time from Israel, which has suspended its retaliatory air strikes, to clamp down on militants.
Thousands of people came out onto the streets to demonstrate against Sheikh Yassin's arrest after a call from loudspeakers at a nearby mosque.
The 62-year-old leader, who is paralysed and virtually blind, was believed to be still inside his house on Wednesday night after the arrest attempt.
However, Palestinian security forces did successfully arrest a number of other Hamas members on Wednesday, and Mr Arafat reported detaining a total of 151 suspected militants in recent days.
The Palestinian leader has called on Israel to give him some breathing space to crack down on the militants and Israel suspended its heavy bombardment of the territories which began after the weekend suicide attacks.
"They have to cool down to give me the chance," Mr Arafat told ABC television
But with another suicide bomber striking in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning, killing himself and lightly injuring three Israelis, some Israeli officials have poured scorn on Mr Arafat's declared efforts.
"Real arrests have yet to be made," Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said.
He can restore credibility by making the necessary arrests of people who are really producing terror
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who spoke to Mr Arafat on the telephone, said he supported a pause in the Israeli air strikes but Mr Arafat had to prove he was serious.
"He can restore credibility by making the necessary arrests of people who are really producing terror," he said.
Mr Peres gave the Palestinian leader a list of 36 suspected militant leaders whom he said should be arrested and said there should be a 12-hour "quiet period".
US peace envoy Anthony Zinni is due to meet both Mr Peres and Mr Arafat on Thursday.
Hamas targeted
The radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said it carried out Wednesday's bomb attack outside a hotel in central Jerusalem.
Wednesday's explosion - the third in Jerusalem in four days - occurred at 0735 local time (0535 GMT).
It took place in a busy commercial area, but most office workers were still on their way to work when the explosion occurred.
Islamic Jihad said the bomber had "preferred, in the face of special circumstances, to blow himself up outside the hotel" in an attempt to cause "numerous victims among the Zionists".
Militants say the violence will continue
Mr Arafat has urged all groups to stand by the ceasefire to which the Palestinians officially remain committed, despite the ongoing violence.
US President George W Bush has labelled Hamas one of the deadliest terror organisations in the world today.
And he called on America's allies to bring terrorists to justice in order to achieve peace in the Middle East.
In comments that will be seen as providing more support for Mr Sharon, Mr Bush also called on Mr Arafat to "root out those who killed".
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