Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Cease-Fire Over?

Aired August 21, 2003 - 10:32   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue now at 32 minutes after the hour with a look at what's has happened this hour right now in the Middle East. Truce under siege there, violence increasing, along with the fear.
First stop, Gaza City, site of the Israeli rocket site that killed a leader of the Hamas militant group.

CNN's Michael Holmes is there. He joins us now by videophone -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

Yes, a dramatic day here in Gaza City. A matter of hours ago, three Israeli missiles fired from Apache helicopters, striking a car carrying Abu Shanab, who is a very senior, well-known figure in Hamas, one of the founders of the organization. He was killed, along with two of his bodyguards, who were less than a half mile away when the missiles hit. We were there before the fire trucks, and I can tell you, it was quite a gruesome sight as the three bodies, charred and injured, were called out of the car and taken away to a hospital.

Now, at the hospital, Shiffer (ph) Hospital a huge crowd, a couple of thousand people gathered there, chanting for Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the man who has been trying to hold this fragile cease- fire together, calling on him to resign.

Also at the same event, Ismael Hanea (ph), who is a senior Hamas official, also reiterated the call for Mahmoud Abbas to resign, and adding, he wanted to him leave Palestinian territories.

Now this is obviously an escalation in the war of words going on here. As a result of the missile strike that killed Abu Shanab, Hamas has called off the cease-fire, as it were, the hutna (ph), and Islamic Jihad, the other militant group that was blamed for the suicide bombing in West Jerusalem a couple days ago that killed 20 Israelis, that group is, in its words, reassessing its commitment to the cease- fire. An announcement is expected from Islamic Jihad in the next few hours.

Now I can tell you there's an element of surprise among Palestinians and anger, too, that Abu Shanab was targeted by the Israeli military in this attack. Within the context, it must be said of Hamas, he has been seen of a bit of a moderating voice. He was an architect, if you like, one of the key figures involved in bringing about the Hamas cease-fire. And there's a lot of confusion here as to why he would have been selected as a target. Now, just minutes before the missile attack, we had been interviewing a very senior Palestinian security official who was telling us that perhaps within hours, the Palestinian Authority, the interior ministry, the police, would be moving against the military wing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and starting to, in his words, dismantle the infrastructure.

He told us that Hamas and Islamic Jihad would no longer be allowed to have military wings. Well, that's gone out the window, too. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in fact the minister in the cabinet, saying that this was a big mistake by Israeli, and that the decisions taken at cabinet meetings in Gaza and Ramallah last evening are now on one side, being pushed to one side. So everything sort of in a bit of a tailspin in this part of the world at the moment -- Leon.

HARRIS: So it would appear. Michael Holmes reporting live for us from Gaza City. You be careful over there. And the minute you hear something new, get back to us immediately and we'll get right back to you.

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 August 21, 2003 - 10:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue now at 32 minutes after the hour with a look at what's has happened this hour right now in the Middle East. Truce under siege there, violence increasing, along with the fear.
First stop, Gaza City, site of the Israeli rocket site that killed a leader of the Hamas militant group.

CNN's Michael Holmes is there. He joins us now by videophone -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

Yes, a dramatic day here in Gaza City. A matter of hours ago, three Israeli missiles fired from Apache helicopters, striking a car carrying Abu Shanab, who is a very senior, well-known figure in Hamas, one of the founders of the organization. He was killed, along with two of his bodyguards, who were less than a half mile away when the missiles hit. We were there before the fire trucks, and I can tell you, it was quite a gruesome sight as the three bodies, charred and injured, were called out of the car and taken away to a hospital.

Now, at the hospital, Shiffer (ph) Hospital a huge crowd, a couple of thousand people gathered there, chanting for Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the man who has been trying to hold this fragile cease- fire together, calling on him to resign.

Also at the same event, Ismael Hanea (ph), who is a senior Hamas official, also reiterated the call for Mahmoud Abbas to resign, and adding, he wanted to him leave Palestinian territories.

Now this is obviously an escalation in the war of words going on here. As a result of the missile strike that killed Abu Shanab, Hamas has called off the cease-fire, as it were, the hutna (ph), and Islamic Jihad, the other militant group that was blamed for the suicide bombing in West Jerusalem a couple days ago that killed 20 Israelis, that group is, in its words, reassessing its commitment to the cease- fire. An announcement is expected from Islamic Jihad in the next few hours.

Now I can tell you there's an element of surprise among Palestinians and anger, too, that Abu Shanab was targeted by the Israeli military in this attack. Within the context, it must be said of Hamas, he has been seen of a bit of a moderating voice. He was an architect, if you like, one of the key figures involved in bringing about the Hamas cease-fire. And there's a lot of confusion here as to why he would have been selected as a target. Now, just minutes before the missile attack, we had been interviewing a very senior Palestinian security official who was telling us that perhaps within hours, the Palestinian Authority, the interior ministry, the police, would be moving against the military wing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and starting to, in his words, dismantle the infrastructure.

He told us that Hamas and Islamic Jihad would no longer be allowed to have military wings. Well, that's gone out the window, too. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in fact the minister in the cabinet, saying that this was a big mistake by Israeli, and that the decisions taken at cabinet meetings in Gaza and Ramallah last evening are now on one side, being pushed to one side. So everything sort of in a bit of a tailspin in this part of the world at the moment -- Leon.

HARRIS: So it would appear. Michael Holmes reporting live for us from Gaza City. You be careful over there. And the minute you hear something new, get back to us immediately and we'll get right back to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com