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CNN Live At Daybreak

Thirteen Killed by Palestinian Militants

Aired August 05, 2002 - 05:33   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to turn our attention now to the Middle East, where 13 people have been killed by Palestinian militants in a 24 hour period.
Our Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with the latest -- good morning.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Now a good morning, yesterday not a good day yesterday. And today, reflections, questions and actions in the wake of that very bloody day yesterday. The reflections and the questions perhaps best expressed by President Bush, who said, almost appealing to the international community to try to find ways to stop the terrorists, he said, acting -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Palestinians against Israelis. And, on the other hand, he said that the facts of terror shouldn't stop the efforts to revive the peace process.

And those questions very much, more acute than ever after the latest violence, which has continued into the night and the Israeli, strong Israeli reaction to that.

The latest Palestinian attack on the West Bank, a couple were killed, a 29-year-old man and his pregnant 27-year-old wife were shot and killed. Jewish settlers making their way home north of Ramallah on the West Bank killed by Palestinian gunmen. The couple's two small children, aged three and eight months, in the car with them, were wounded in that attack.

Well, that attack came as Israelis began burying yesterday their dead from a series of attacks in the West Bank and inside Israel. The funerals taking place. They will continue today. The bulk of the dead coming in Hamas claimed attack, a suicide bombing on a bus in northern Israel in which nine people were killed by the suicide bomber. Three of them, Israeli soldiers, were on their way back to their bases. Six other people, including an Israeli Arab woman and two Philippine women working in Israel.

And Israel has undertaken a series of actions in response to this latest wave of Palestinian attacks. The Israeli forces are now imposing curfews, reimposing curfews, imposing travel restrictions on all Palestinians in, between towns in the northern part of the West Bank, continuing with their search and root out operation in the heart of the biggest Palestinian town of Nablus, which continues since Friday, and also engaging in the new tactic of blowing up the homes of previous Palestinian suicide bombers and gunmen. That occurred yesterday. There were nine such demolitions of Palestinian -- of families of the these Palestinian attackers from previous incidents. And Israel trying desperately to find a way to curb this latest phase of bombings with some tough actions.

But the key, perhaps, to yesterday's bloody day was that the Palestinian extremist group proving that despite Israel's fierce some actions and fierce actions in the West Bank, able to continue carrying out their attacks, both on the roads of the West Bank and inside Israel -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold, I had heard that the latest suicide bomber on board that bus did not make a videotape that was released to the media. Is that because, you know, Israel is going in and blowing up these homes of the family members of the suicide bombers?

KESSEL: Very, very interesting development. Now, Hamas, when it put out that statement claiming responsibility, as was its wont in the past, you rightly point out, there was always this parading of the suicide bomber, of his cause, beforehand and saying, both the identifying of the bomber and promoting his cause post-mortem, you could say.

And this time nothing of that. Hamas did say it was a suicide bomber. They call him a martyr in their parlance. But they did not identify him and it could very well be because of this new Israeli tactic of blowing up the homes of families of suicide bombers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel reporting live from Jerusalem.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

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