Fire Breaks Out at Church of Nativity
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity was on fire early Thursday during a fierce exchange of gunfire between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen holed up inside.
Israeli soldiers were firing flares and throwing smoke bombs, witnesses said.
Flames leaped out of three rooms at the compound. Exchanges of gunfire could be heard outside, though it was not clear what set it off. Israeli soldiers lit up the sky with flares and threw stun grenades and smoke bombs.
Israeli forces have been surrounding the church since April 2, when more than 200 Palestinians, including gunmen, took refuge inside as Israeli troops invaded. The 4th-century church marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
There was no immediate word of casualties. About 30 people have left the church in the last several days, according to agreements between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. However, there is still a standoff on the main issue, the fate of the gunmen. Israel insists they must either surrender or accept exile, while the Palestinians are prepared only to take them to the Gaza Strip.
The church remains the last point of contention from Israel's large-scale incursion into the West Bank that began March 29, after a series of deadly Palestinian suicide bomb attacks. On Wednesday, Israel began withdrawing its forces from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office building in the West Bank town of Ramallah after a U.S.-brokered deal, under which six Palestinians wanted by Israel were taken from the building to a Palestinian prison in Jericho.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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