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CNN Live At Daybreak
Israeli Rocket Attack in Gaza Kills Four Hamas Members
Aired August 25, 2003 - 06:05 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: In Gaza, Israeli missiles strike again. This time, four members of Hamas are dead, and the vows of revenge are getting even louder.
To Gaza City now and CNN's Michael Holmes by videophone.
Hello -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Yes, it was a gruesome scene last evening. We were only about half a mile away from this latest missile strike, and arrived there to find four bodies dismembered, a couple of them, by this missile strike. Israeli Apache helicopters putting two, perhaps three, missiles into a vacant beachside lot, where Israel says four members of the Hamas military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, were meeting to hatch a plan to attack Israel, perhaps a double suicide bombing, according to security sources in Israel.
Now, the four men were killed, another was seriously injured, and about eight bystanders were also hurt. It was a very angry scene, as well as a bloody scene. And it was the second such missile strike by Israel on Hamas figures in three days.
Now, as we speak, the funerals for those men continue here in Gaza City. Two of the men are being buried -- two of them were from Rafah in southern Gaza, and they are being buried there.
Among those who were buried here today, the funeral procession has just left the al-Amali (ph) mosque and is headed to the cemetery. The usual sort of angry explosions we're hearing, calling for revenge on Israel.
Among the dead buried here is Ahmed Eshtwi. He was the chief target of this missile attack, a man Israel says was the chief operations officer for the military wing of Hamas.
Now, the anger in Gaza City at this funeral procession is punctuated by the usual gunshots into the air as the funeral procession heads towards the cemetery now.
I can also report to you, Carol, that there is a full closure of the -- excuse me -- of the Gaza Strip today. Israel is clamping down all around the borders of Gaza. Palestinians are unable to move from one end of Gaza to another. Gaza City is effectively split into three, as it was before the cease-fire called by Hamas -- a cease-fire that is now long gone. I spoke to a Palestinian security source just a few minutes ago, and he told me that the initial attempts by the Palestinian Authority to move against militant elements by closing those tunnels in Rafah, by trying to stop rocket and mortar attacks in northern Gaza, he said that it is all being made extremely difficult by Israel's targeted killings or assassinations.
This source said to me -- I'll quote now: "We cannot go hard now. The Israelis are not helping us. We cannot face our people, as well as the militants."
And a Palestinian cabinet minister went a bit further and said that the targeted killings or assassinations are a deliberate act by Israel to prevent the Palestinian Authority from acting against the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, Hamas says it will take revenge for the killings that had taken place last evening. Israel, for its part, says the Palestinians have not been moving fast enough nor seriously enough, and they will strike at Hamas operatives whenever they choose.
COSTELLO: Michael Holmes reporting live by videophone from Gaza City this morning.
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 25, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Gaza, Israeli missiles strike again. This time, four members of Hamas are dead, and the vows of revenge are getting even louder.
To Gaza City now and CNN's Michael Holmes by videophone.
Hello -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Yes, it was a gruesome scene last evening. We were only about half a mile away from this latest missile strike, and arrived there to find four bodies dismembered, a couple of them, by this missile strike. Israeli Apache helicopters putting two, perhaps three, missiles into a vacant beachside lot, where Israel says four members of the Hamas military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, were meeting to hatch a plan to attack Israel, perhaps a double suicide bombing, according to security sources in Israel.
Now, the four men were killed, another was seriously injured, and about eight bystanders were also hurt. It was a very angry scene, as well as a bloody scene. And it was the second such missile strike by Israel on Hamas figures in three days.
Now, as we speak, the funerals for those men continue here in Gaza City. Two of the men are being buried -- two of them were from Rafah in southern Gaza, and they are being buried there.
Among those who were buried here today, the funeral procession has just left the al-Amali (ph) mosque and is headed to the cemetery. The usual sort of angry explosions we're hearing, calling for revenge on Israel.
Among the dead buried here is Ahmed Eshtwi. He was the chief target of this missile attack, a man Israel says was the chief operations officer for the military wing of Hamas.
Now, the anger in Gaza City at this funeral procession is punctuated by the usual gunshots into the air as the funeral procession heads towards the cemetery now.
I can also report to you, Carol, that there is a full closure of the -- excuse me -- of the Gaza Strip today. Israel is clamping down all around the borders of Gaza. Palestinians are unable to move from one end of Gaza to another. Gaza City is effectively split into three, as it was before the cease-fire called by Hamas -- a cease-fire that is now long gone. I spoke to a Palestinian security source just a few minutes ago, and he told me that the initial attempts by the Palestinian Authority to move against militant elements by closing those tunnels in Rafah, by trying to stop rocket and mortar attacks in northern Gaza, he said that it is all being made extremely difficult by Israel's targeted killings or assassinations.
This source said to me -- I'll quote now: "We cannot go hard now. The Israelis are not helping us. We cannot face our people, as well as the militants."
And a Palestinian cabinet minister went a bit further and said that the targeted killings or assassinations are a deliberate act by Israel to prevent the Palestinian Authority from acting against the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, Hamas says it will take revenge for the killings that had taken place last evening. Israel, for its part, says the Palestinians have not been moving fast enough nor seriously enough, and they will strike at Hamas operatives whenever they choose.
COSTELLO: Michael Holmes reporting live by videophone from Gaza City this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
