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CNN Live At Daybreak
Israel Sends Tanks into Gaza Strip
Aired December 06, 2002 - 05:32 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: We want to get details now on this morning's violence in the Middle East. Ten Palestinians have been killed as Israel roots out terrorists.
Let's go live now to Jerusalem and our Chris Burns -- good morning.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Israel calling this a raid against a terrorist stronghold. The Palestinians, some of them anyway, calling this a massacre. Ten people dead, some 20 people injured. Among those 10, the Israelis say that most of them were, at least half of them were militants. The Palestinians saying that most of them were, in fact, civilians.
What happened was Israel sent dozens of tanks and armed personnel carriers into the Gaza Strip refugee camp of al-Bureij overnight. As they moved in, a mosque was calling over its loudspeakers for people to resist, to take up arms. And that's exactly what happened.
In the ensuing gun battle, 10 people lay dead. An Israeli soldier was injured. The man that they were going, the Israelis were going after, was a man called Iman Shasniyeh, an identified militant who the Israelis say was behind a bombing that killed three Israeli troops and other attacks against not only Israeli soldiers, but also Israeli civilians in Jewish settlements in Gaza.
So, the Israelis saying that this was perfectly justified to go in there. However, it does seem to be a raid that went a bit awry -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding.
The "Washington Post" is reporting this morning that al Qaeda plans suicide bombings in Israel. Tell us how that complicates things for the Israeli government.
BURNS: Well, the Israelis say that this is really nothing new, that they have been targeted by al Qaeda long before that. In fact, Ra'anan Gissin, a spokesman for the Israeli government, saying this has been in effect for quite some time and, in fact, the Israelis saying that al Qaeda has been trying to operate, anyway, in the occupied territories.
The Palestinians will come back and say well, this is only an excuse for the Israelis to move into the occupied territories, saying that al Qaeda is not involved in this and that the resistance is home grown -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Chris Burns, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 6, 2002 - 05:32 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 get details now on this morning's violence in the Middle East. Ten Palestinians have been killed as Israel roots out terrorists.
Let's go live now to Jerusalem and our Chris Burns -- good morning.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Israel calling this a raid against a terrorist stronghold. The Palestinians, some of them anyway, calling this a massacre. Ten people dead, some 20 people injured. Among those 10, the Israelis say that most of them were, at least half of them were militants. The Palestinians saying that most of them were, in fact, civilians.
What happened was Israel sent dozens of tanks and armed personnel carriers into the Gaza Strip refugee camp of al-Bureij overnight. As they moved in, a mosque was calling over its loudspeakers for people to resist, to take up arms. And that's exactly what happened.
In the ensuing gun battle, 10 people lay dead. An Israeli soldier was injured. The man that they were going, the Israelis were going after, was a man called Iman Shasniyeh, an identified militant who the Israelis say was behind a bombing that killed three Israeli troops and other attacks against not only Israeli soldiers, but also Israeli civilians in Jewish settlements in Gaza.
So, the Israelis saying that this was perfectly justified to go in there. However, it does seem to be a raid that went a bit awry -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding.
The "Washington Post" is reporting this morning that al Qaeda plans suicide bombings in Israel. Tell us how that complicates things for the Israeli government.
BURNS: Well, the Israelis say that this is really nothing new, that they have been targeted by al Qaeda long before that. In fact, Ra'anan Gissin, a spokesman for the Israeli government, saying this has been in effect for quite some time and, in fact, the Israelis saying that al Qaeda has been trying to operate, anyway, in the occupied territories.
The Palestinians will come back and say well, this is only an excuse for the Israelis to move into the occupied territories, saying that al Qaeda is not involved in this and that the resistance is home grown -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Chris Burns, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
