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Israeli Missiles Miss Target in Gaza
Aired August 26, 2003 - 14:09 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to take you back to Gaza City via videophone with our Michael Holmes.
We have established contact -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Yes, I want to bring you the latest on this missile attack that took place just an hour -- a couple of hours ago actually here in Gaza. It was at the Jubazia (ph) refugee camp. Now this is a place that's known as a hotbed of anti-Israel militancy. Israel says it's a breeding ground for terrorists.
Now the target in this case, two men, at least two men, who were in a white Reno (ph) car. You can see the remains of it there. They were members of Isabin Al Kassam (ph), the military wing of Hamas. The main target, we are led to believe, was Khalid Al Massoud (ph). Now a man that had been targeted before, we need to point out, unsuccessfully. With him was Wahil Ekulan (ph). another member of the military wing of Hamas. We are told these men saw the helicopters, or heard them, or were warned about them, got out of the cars, started to run when the missiles hit.
Now, the casualties in this case we are told all civilian. One person was killed, a man in his 60s. His name Eunis Al Jamalawi (ph). He was driving a donkey cart near the car when he was killed. Among the injured, there are 23 injured, according to hospital sources, six of them children. I saw the ages. One was 10, a couple are 11, two of them are in critical condition.
Now what we also know the oldest injured bystander is a 75-year- old man. Now, Israel has said very clearly that the Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has not acted quickly enough, efficiently enough, and done, in fact, very little to strike at the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. And Israel has said it will, in the words of one senior army official, liquidate any Hamas suspect that it finds and has the opportunity to do so, basically saying if the Palestinian Authority won't act, we will.
Now, this is the third such missile strike on Hamas targets in a week. As I said, and it came on an evening when the Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was here in Gaza. He had literally just arrived a couple of hours earlier when he was going to be convening a member of all political factions here to discuss trying to resuscitate the cease-fire that was called off by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the wake of the first missile attack that took place last Thursday. That meeting has now been modified. We are told it may still go ahead this evening, but it will involve senior members from Fata and security forces, and they will discuss this latest attack.
We also have been in contact with senior Hamas officials, Ismael Haniya (ph), who said that Israel has failed in its mission against our activists and have instead struck civilians. He also said significantly that Hamas does not rule out meeting with Mahmoud Abbas to discuss whatever it is he wants to discuss. We also spoke earlier in the day before this missile strike with Abdel Antiz (ph) Rantissi, another very senior Hamas member here in Gaza, and he said, yes, we'd be happy to meet, but a cease-fire is not on our agenda -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Michael Holmes, from Gaza City, thank 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 26, 2003 - 14:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to take you back to Gaza City via videophone with our Michael Holmes.
We have established contact -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Yes, I want to bring you the latest on this missile attack that took place just an hour -- a couple of hours ago actually here in Gaza. It was at the Jubazia (ph) refugee camp. Now this is a place that's known as a hotbed of anti-Israel militancy. Israel says it's a breeding ground for terrorists.
Now the target in this case, two men, at least two men, who were in a white Reno (ph) car. You can see the remains of it there. They were members of Isabin Al Kassam (ph), the military wing of Hamas. The main target, we are led to believe, was Khalid Al Massoud (ph). Now a man that had been targeted before, we need to point out, unsuccessfully. With him was Wahil Ekulan (ph). another member of the military wing of Hamas. We are told these men saw the helicopters, or heard them, or were warned about them, got out of the cars, started to run when the missiles hit.
Now, the casualties in this case we are told all civilian. One person was killed, a man in his 60s. His name Eunis Al Jamalawi (ph). He was driving a donkey cart near the car when he was killed. Among the injured, there are 23 injured, according to hospital sources, six of them children. I saw the ages. One was 10, a couple are 11, two of them are in critical condition.
Now what we also know the oldest injured bystander is a 75-year- old man. Now, Israel has said very clearly that the Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has not acted quickly enough, efficiently enough, and done, in fact, very little to strike at the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. And Israel has said it will, in the words of one senior army official, liquidate any Hamas suspect that it finds and has the opportunity to do so, basically saying if the Palestinian Authority won't act, we will.
Now, this is the third such missile strike on Hamas targets in a week. As I said, and it came on an evening when the Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was here in Gaza. He had literally just arrived a couple of hours earlier when he was going to be convening a member of all political factions here to discuss trying to resuscitate the cease-fire that was called off by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the wake of the first missile attack that took place last Thursday. That meeting has now been modified. We are told it may still go ahead this evening, but it will involve senior members from Fata and security forces, and they will discuss this latest attack.
We also have been in contact with senior Hamas officials, Ismael Haniya (ph), who said that Israel has failed in its mission against our activists and have instead struck civilians. He also said significantly that Hamas does not rule out meeting with Mahmoud Abbas to discuss whatever it is he wants to discuss. We also spoke earlier in the day before this missile strike with Abdel Antiz (ph) Rantissi, another very senior Hamas member here in Gaza, and he said, yes, we'd be happy to meet, but a cease-fire is not on our agenda -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Michael Holmes, from Gaza City, thank 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
