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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israeli Army in Pursuit of Bus Attackers

Aired July 17, 2002 - 05:29   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Moving to Israel now, where today sources say a suspected Palestinian militant has been killed in a gun battle with Israeli soldiers. It is believed that the man was among those behind an attack on a bus yesterday that killed at least seven people.

Let's get more now on the tensions there from our Jerrold Kessel, who's in Jerusalem -- Jerrold?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Catherine.

And the Israeli Army in pursuit of the Palestinians who are believed to have carried out that deadly ambush on the bus, which was heading to one of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank yesterday, killing seven people directly and wounding more than 20.

And in this exchanges of fire this morning, one Palestinian has been shot and killed, and three, the Israeli Army reporting three of its soldiers are hurt, one of them in serious condition.

The pursuit after the soldiers -- after the presumed gunman on that terror attack yesterday has been going on for several hours now in the rocky hillside of the West Bank where that ambush, that deadly attack on the bus took place yesterday. The gunman having laid an explosive charge then attacked the bus when the bus struck the bomb, roadside bomb, and firing into the bus, throwing hand grenades in.

And in addition to the seven people who were killed directly there, we now have another death to report. Early this morning a baby was born by, delivered by C-section. The mother had been seriously injured in the attack and the baby -- the mother was eight months pregnant, delivered yesterday, but has died this morning, where it's reported from the Israeli hospital, where the mother of the child is still being treated.

Among those who were killed were also a grandmother and her grandchild and also her son-in-law had rushed to the site of the bus attack to try to retrieve people from inside, try to save them. And he himself was gunned down.

So just as Israel continues the preparations to bury the dead from yesterday's attack, there's also political fallout, Israel calling off scheduled talks that had been planned for this morning between senior officials of the two sides with the Palestinian Authority. Israel blaming Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority for the attack, although the militant Islamic group Hamas, one of three Palestinian organizations to take responsibility. And Hamas now going very much on the record and saying its forces, it says, took, carried out that attack yesterday.

Israel preparing to bury the dead now, but saying while funerals were going on, there can be no talks. And those talks have been put off possibly to Friday at the earliest -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Jerrold.

Talks delayed once again. Thank you, Jerrold.

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