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CNN Live At Daybreak

Rescue in Jenin, and Israeli Forces on the Move Again

Aired April 18, 2002 - 06:35   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go live to the Middle East now for the latest on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. There has been a rescue in Jenin, and Israeli forces are on the move again.

Our Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem -- hello, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And the focus again on that Jenin refugee camp, scene of that fierce, almost week-long fight between the Israelis and Palestinians in that refugee camp.

But now, some emotional moments; that we understand that five people have been pulled from the rubble. It's not clear whether they are alive or survived this devastating battle in the camp, five people, two men, a woman and two children who are believed brothers, a 6 and a 12-year-old. First the reports that they might have been alive and were taken direct to Jenin Hospital in a difficult condition, but a serious condition, but now it's not clear whether, in fact, they have survived. We shall try to ascertain that.

This is people desperately searching for survivors under the rubble of houses that were destroyed or collapsed in that fighting or in the aftermath of it. And the latest (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have continued there over the number of people on the Palestinian side, who might have been killed. We know that the Palestinians have buried 28 people, but that doesn't in any way establish the total death toll in that camp.

But this morning, the United Nations special envoy, Terry Larson, has been visiting the scene, and he describes it as "horrific and shocking beyond belief. It is like an earthquake hit the center of the camp," he says, and he says that whatever happened, when asked whether it was a massacre there or had been war crimes committed, he said he wouldn't comment on that. "But no military action could justify the kind of suffering that the civilians are undergoing there," said Mr. Larson -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold, can you also tell us what the fallout is from the Colin Powell visit? What's the mood like there now?

KESSEL: Well, the immediate impact and the assessment was that it had been a failure, because Mr. Powell had not been able to get a cease-fire, but I think that is being doubly assessed now whether that is, in fact, so, as the Israelis and Palestinians trade accusations of who might have prevented Mr. Powell from getting to the sought-after cease-fire.

Palestinians saying that Ariel Sharon and the Israeli side, by continuing with their military offensive, had in fact torpedoed the mission. The Israelis for their part say that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian side, by not coming out with a strong enough statement and action against terror, they had torpedoed the mission.

The big question is on which side did the United States stand? The United States says it is not taking sides, simply because it is only in the middle of this mission. The mission is not yet over. The United States will be back. Mr. Powell will be back. And both sides should listen and heed to what the United States says must be done to end the bloodshed and put this crisis in the direction of a resolvable situation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And of course, we'll keep following that. Thank you -- Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning.

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