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CNN Live At Daybreak
Six Dead After Gun Battle in Gaza
Aired January 09, 2002 - 06:16 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.
COSTELLO: There is so much going on this morning. Before we get to the latest developments in Afghanistan, we want to bring you the latest violence from the Middle East.
Four Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians are dead, killed in a fire fight earlier today at an army post near the borders of Israel, Gaza and Egypt. Our Jerrold Kessel is live in Jerusalem with the latest from there. Jerrold, take it away.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And this incident coming right along that border inside Israel at an army post on that -- on that Gaza-Israel border at this time. The Israeli security cabinet, it had been scheduled to convene for this irregular session, but it's now, we're told, being devoted to the implications of this attack by two Palestinian gunmen on the Israel army position. And we expect to hear what response the Israelis might be contemplating in the wake of this attack by the Palestinian militants.
One government spokesman saying in advance of that meeting that this was so serious and incident that it simply could not be allowed to pass by.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): It was the most serious incident in weeks. The Israeli casualties coming after two Palestinian gunmen firing automatic weapons and throwing hand grenades penetrated the military strong point inside Israel along the Gaza border. The four Israeli soldiers killed were all veteran tribesmen, many of whom serve in the Israeli forces. The two gunmen, who had cut through a fence which separates Gaza from Israel, were also killed in a subsequent shoot- out.
The radical Islamic group, Hamas, claimed responsibility from Lebanon. A fact that will also trouble the Palestinian leadership, which had hoped Hamas would continue adhering to a cease fire call from Yasser Arafat made three weeks ago. The attack on the Israeli position certainly shattered what the Israeli defense minister called, "the quietest week in 15 months of confrontation." The incident is bound to cast a major shadow over the U.S. mediation bid led by retired General Anthony Zinni to consolidate that gathering quiet into a solid cease fire.
Those efforts had already been thrown into jeopardy by the ongoing row over this arms boat, which Israeli forces seized last week and which Israel says was headed for the Palestinians in Gaza.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon charging that the responsibility for the boat incident goes directly to Yasser Arafat himself. He says groups closest to the Palestinian leader should be recognized for what they are.
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The Fatah is the party (ph) of Arafat, and under full control. And the Tanzim (ph), that's the military arm of the Fatah, they should be declared as terrorist organization, and the same should be done when it comes to the Presidential Guard, 417, which is the liaison with the Hezbollah.
KESSEL: The Palestinian leadership under pressure from international leaders to explain. Here the European's top foreign policy man, Javier Solana, strenuously denies it was behind the arms smuggling attempt. Charging Israel is trying to derail the U.S. mediation efforts, the Palestinian leadership has promised a full scale investigation and welcomes, it says, international scrutiny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want these four parties, the EU, the United States, Russia and the U.N., to participate in the investigation concerning this ship incident. We don't have anything to hide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KESSEL (on camera): With no let up -- no sign of a let up in the harsh war of words between Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian leadership, the Israelis are sending -- have sent a top ranking delegation of their intelligence officers to Washington to put the case to the United States that they have ironclad evidence of Palestinian authority implication in the boat -- arms boat affair. And now it's expected that there'll be more war of words over this latest attack across the Gaza-Israel border -- Carol.
COSTELLO: No doubt about that. Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning. Thank you very much. We'll let you get out of the rain.
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