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CNN Live Saturday
Israeli Rockets Kill 4 Hamas Members
Aired March 08, 2003 - 18:30 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: It has been a bloody week in the Middle East. Just today, four Hamas members, including a top commander, were killed when Israeli rockets hit their car. It is associated with a new and much broader Israeli crackdown in Gaza. CNN's Kelly Wallace takes us there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new phase in Israel's stepped up offensive. More than 40 tanks and other vehicles take up positions in Northern Gaza. They might not be leaving anytime soon.
BRIG. CMDR. JOEL STRIEK, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): It could be short; it could be ongoing; everything according to what we'll decide.
WALLACE: The army's goals, to prevent Palestinian militants from getting close enough to the boarder to fire homemade rockets into Israel. Such an ongoing operation, familiar in the West Bank, but up until now Israel has been reluctant to do it here. Palestinian children get close and throw stones until they realize the stakes could be very high.
(on camera): Over the past two and a half years of this conflict Israeli forces would only spend a few hours here in the Gaza Strip. But what is significant this time, this is the second operation in less than two weeks where Israeli military forces say the Israeli forces will remain in the Gaza Strip until the security situation improves.
(voice over): The latest incursion comes at the end of a bloody week. In Gaza, 19 Palestinians killed in Israeli operations targeting Hamas. While in Israel's northern city of Haifa, 15 people killed, many young students in a suicide bus bombing.
At a Gaza rally, Friday, some 2,000 Hamas supporters marched vowing Israel's incursions wouldn't stop their attacks.
ABDEL AZIZ RANTISSI, HAMAS LEADER: The Israelis are going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), during the war in Iraq we will still escalate our resistance, every way.
WALLACE: But Hamas is facing pressure, and not just from the Israelis. This member of the Palestinian Central Council said that attacks by Hamas are only giving Israel "cover" to carry out raids in the Gaza Strip.
JAMAL ZAKOUT, PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST: I suggest that all the Palestinians, leaderships, factions, parties, people, innocent people, farmers, women, etc cetera, to go out and to speak to Hamas - enough. What you are doing is against the Palestinian agenda.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 March 8, 2003 - 18:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It has been a bloody week in the Middle East. Just today, four Hamas members, including a top commander, were killed when Israeli rockets hit their car. It is associated with a new and much broader Israeli crackdown in Gaza. CNN's Kelly Wallace takes us there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new phase in Israel's stepped up offensive. More than 40 tanks and other vehicles take up positions in Northern Gaza. They might not be leaving anytime soon.
BRIG. CMDR. JOEL STRIEK, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): It could be short; it could be ongoing; everything according to what we'll decide.
WALLACE: The army's goals, to prevent Palestinian militants from getting close enough to the boarder to fire homemade rockets into Israel. Such an ongoing operation, familiar in the West Bank, but up until now Israel has been reluctant to do it here. Palestinian children get close and throw stones until they realize the stakes could be very high.
(on camera): Over the past two and a half years of this conflict Israeli forces would only spend a few hours here in the Gaza Strip. But what is significant this time, this is the second operation in less than two weeks where Israeli military forces say the Israeli forces will remain in the Gaza Strip until the security situation improves.
(voice over): The latest incursion comes at the end of a bloody week. In Gaza, 19 Palestinians killed in Israeli operations targeting Hamas. While in Israel's northern city of Haifa, 15 people killed, many young students in a suicide bus bombing.
At a Gaza rally, Friday, some 2,000 Hamas supporters marched vowing Israel's incursions wouldn't stop their attacks.
ABDEL AZIZ RANTISSI, HAMAS LEADER: The Israelis are going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), during the war in Iraq we will still escalate our resistance, every way.
WALLACE: But Hamas is facing pressure, and not just from the Israelis. This member of the Palestinian Central Council said that attacks by Hamas are only giving Israel "cover" to carry out raids in the Gaza Strip.
JAMAL ZAKOUT, PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST: I suggest that all the Palestinians, leaderships, factions, parties, people, innocent people, farmers, women, etc cetera, to go out and to speak to Hamas - enough. What you are doing is against the Palestinian agenda.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
