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CNN Live Saturday

5-Year-Old Girl Killed in Shooting on West Bank

Aired April 27, 2002 - 12:04   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now onto the Middle East, where Israeli officials say a 5-year-old girl was among four Jewish settlers killed today in a shooting in the West Bank. The Israeli army is searching for the suspected Palestinian gunmen. CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with the latest from there. Hi there, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. It was about 9:00 in the morning, many of the settlers in this 40-strong family community Jewish settlement in the southern part of the West Bank near the town of Hebron were in synagogue when the gunmen struck. They penetrated -- two or three, it's not yet been determined -- penetrated the perimeter fence of the settlement, tried to break into a couple of houses, failed to do so, but shot through the windows, then got into one of the other houses, shot dead a 5-year-old girl and wounded her two younger brothers, also slightly wounded her mother.

One of the gunmen also shot a woman in bed, and her husband was seriously hurt. Two others in that settlement were killed; seven Israelis all told wound, one seriously, in this attack.

The gunmen who were dressed in Israeli army uniform made good their get away in the confusion that reigned as people went to get their weapons to try to come to the aid of those who were being attacked. The gunmen went away, escaped, and then there was a search, and it has been going on for several hours now. The Israeli army says that in a neighboring Palestinian village, one Palestinian gunman has been killed. It is not clear whether he was one of those involved in this morning's attack.

This is the first attack of its kind in a Jewish settlement since Israel launched that almost month-long incursion into Palestinian areas, much of which has been wound down after a lot of pressure also from the United States. President Bush saying only yesterday that he wanted these Israeli incursions to end right now. But the Israelis saying they need to continue incursions into Palestinian territory as long as they need to ward off potential attacks.

And all this is coming just as the contentious issue of that fact-finding -- U.N. fact-finding commission to the refugee camp of Jenin and the question of what exactly happened in that, Israeli sweep in Jenin during the fierce fighting there. Was there, as the Palestinians say, a massacre where hundreds of people were killed, many of them civilians, or, as the Israelis say, that only several score killed and most of them gunmen.

Well, that fact-finding commission is due here now tomorrow, but only after the Israeli Cabinet gives its final approval. That is set to come before the Israeli Cabinet tomorrow morning. It's expected that they will give their final approval, and the fact-finding commission will be flying in from Geneva tomorrow to investigate what might or might not have happened in the Jenin refugee camp -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you very much, Jerrold Kessel.

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