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American Morning

Additional Body Found in Rubble from Israeli Strike

Aired July 24, 2002 - 08:03   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Overseas in the Middle East, Israel says it's moving now to ease restrictions on Palestinians and may withdraw its troops from some cities in the West Bank. That word coming amid heavy criticism of Israel's missile strike in Gaza City that killed a Hamas leader and also killed 14 Palestinian civilians, nine of whom were children.

More now from Chris Burns, who is in Jerusalem with an update for us -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

That death toll has just risen. Hospital officials say that one more body has been found from that Israeli attack two nights ago in Gaza against an apartment building where that chief of the Hamas military wing, Salah Shehade, was that night. However, that one ton bomb that was dropped on that building killed a lot of other people. That death toll now at 16 plus 150 people who were injured.

If you look at the, some of the headlines today in Israel that indicates to you what the Israelis are -- a lot of Israelis, anyway, have second thoughts about what was done. "Haretz," the more liberal newspaper here in the country, is calling it a disaster, what happened over in Gaza the other night.

If you like at the more conservative newspaper, "The Jerusalem Post," take a look at this political cartoon showing Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, in his jet firing a rocket trying to fight terror but hitting what is the barrier to the anti-Israeli sentiment. That sentiment is boiling over in the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of people taking to the streets demanding blood from the Israelis for that attack. And the Israelis struggling with this question over whether it was really justified.

Could this spark a new wave of terrorist attacks? That's the last thing that the Israelis want. However, many Israeli government officials say still that they, at least the killing of this Hamas military leader was justified.

Here is Shimon Peres, the foreign minister, who we spoke to just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: The fact is that Mr. Shehade, the person that we were looking after, is a sort of a local bin Laden. Eight times it was postponed the attack upon him because we were worried that civilian life will be lost because of it. This time, unfortunately, a mistake happened and we regret it very much. We would like to see neither a grown up person nor children, Arabs being hurt or killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: The Israelis on guard for a resumption of terrorist attacks. However, at the same time they're moving ahead with peace moves. Shimon Peres saying that the meeting today of the Israeli cabinet, part of the cabinet, anyway, decided that they will unfreeze, they'll go ahead and unfreeze about $40 million in tax, Palestinian tax revenue that had been withheld during this Palestinian uprising.

They're going to give it to the Palestinian Authority so they can go ahead and resume some operations that have been paralyzed because of that financial cutoff, forgiving some $30 million in electrical bills and other debts and allowing, now raising to 7,000 the number of Palestinians who can go work inside Israel. That's very key because a lot of Palestinians rely on their paychecks made in Israel to try to finance their lives inside Palestine and -- inside the Palestinian territories, sorry.

And so there is also an intent by the Israelis to perhaps pull out of Bethlehem and Hebron if the Palestinian Authority can present the Israelis some kind of a plan that would ensure there wouldn't be any militant activity in those territories -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, Chris.

Chris Burns again reporting live in Jerusalem. The story continues to develop at this hour.

Chris, thanks.

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