Israel Strikes Palestinian Police HQ, Wounding 15

  • Author: Islamweb & News Agencies
  • Publish date:22/05/2001
  • Section:WORLD HEADLINES
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GAZA (Islamweb & News Agencies) - Israeli warplanes launched a missile strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday on the Palestinian Authority's main police headquarters, wounding at least 15 officers, witnesses and hospital officials said.
Israel launched Friday's attacks just hours after U.S envoy Anthony Zinni met Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah as part of a new peace mission.
After the meeting, Arafat announced that Palestinian and Israeli officials planned to relaunch U.S.-brokered security talks on Friday.
Gaza City was rocked by two huge explosions after Israeli fighters were seen overhead in the Jewish state's latest retaliation for Resistance bomb attacks that killed 25 people last weekend.
Ambulances rushed the injured to hospital but no one was seriously hurt, medical officials said. They said paramedics were still at the scene searching for other possible casualties.
The building is the main police headquarters for Palestinian-ruled areas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and houses the offices of the Palestinian Authority's police chief.
The air strike followed assaults by warplanes on Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday and Tuesday that marked Israel's fiercest air campaign in 14 months of conflict.
Israeli officials had warned of further military action unless Palestinian President Yasser Arafat cracked down hard on militant groups that have carried out a wave of attacks inside Israel.
The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the Resistance attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa last weekend, saying it was to avenge Israel's killing of one of their military leaders.
But Israel blamed Arafat, saying he and his security forces allowed militants to operate with impunity.

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