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CNN Live Today

High Death Toll Follows Siege of Palestinian Headquarters

Aired April 02, 2002 - 13:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We have talked about Ramallah pretty much nonstop for the past five days. There are two flash points there, one being Yasser Arafat's headquarters, and the other being the Palestinian security compound.

Michael Holmes was inside there today after about 400 people were released a short time ago. Some we understand -- some several hundred -- are in custody tonight.

Michael, good evening.

What more do you know?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill. Good evening to you.

Last night here was a cacophony of noise. Tank shells, heavy machine gun fire, and then at dawn we woke to look out from here, from this very position here, to see Israeli helicopters hovering overhead and seeing them release rockets towards the compound, which is the headquarters of the Preventative Security System here in Ramallah. It is very significant security installation -- I'm distracted by machine gunfire in the background. Apologies, Bill.

We did get in there to the headquarters. We were about the only ones who managed to. We got there almost by accident as we were trying to find it in mist and fog and rain. What we did find was a scene of devastation, these buildings, perhaps four buildings, forming this compound. There's a hospital, prison, office, administration of Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Preventative Security. There was rubble on the street, crushed cars, burnt cars. You could see holes where tank shells had gone in, bigger holes where rockets had gone in, this compound rendered all but useless.

As you said, some 300 to 400 people were in there during all of this. Remarkably, we understand, perhaps few casualties, maybe 30 maybe 40 -- difficult to get a pin on that right now.

We understand from our sources, Bill, that the CIA got involved and stepped in and negotiated a cease-fire, is all you could call it, while Palestinians inside that building came out, surrendered, were taken into custody, and taken into an Israeli military facility in the West Bank. There they're interviewed, debriefed, interrogated. Israel says very clearly that those they don't want for terrorist activity will be released, including Palestinian policemen and security officers, we're told. Certainly, a frightening night for those people.

Can also tell you we visited Ramallah Hospital, which has been a place of desperately-needed medical supplies.

And the United Nations came in today -- caught everyone by surprise -- came in with a truck and three other vehicles from Jerusalem. They'd negotiated to come in and drop off blood and medical supplies urgently needed by doctors there. I did speak to one doctor who looked at what was the delivered and said it's good, but not enough, not enough.

A sad story there at the hospital, too. There are many sad stories there, of course. But we were taken by a doctor to the hospital morgue. He opened it up, and his first words were, Look it's full. And I've got to say he was right; there were two bodies on trays designed for one, there were bodies on the floor. We counted perhaps 27 or so of the bodies.

And over the road, about an hour later, they dug up the car park area to make a mass grave for these people so they had more room in the mortuary -- Bill.

HEMMER: Michael Holmes, in Ramallah, again tonight.

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