Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Gaza Attack
Aired August 21, 2003 - 08:33 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: Back to the serious news on that Israeli attack that killed a prominent Hamas figure.
Michael Holmes at the scene when the attack went down now with us by way of videophone in Gaza City.
Michael, what's happening now? Good afternoon, there.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good afternoon to you, Bill.
Yes, certainly a dramatic few hours here in Gaza. It's been a dramatic 24 hours or so. Over the last 24 hours, the Palestinian Authority met here in Gaza, they went to Ramallah, they met with Yasser Arafat, they decided that they would dismantle military wing of Hamas and the military wing of Islamic Jihad. Well, you can see what has happened just a matter of a few hours ago. An Israeli helicopter gunship fired -- at least three missiles into this vehicle that you're looking at, inside Abu Shanab, senior Hamas official, a founder of the organization. Two of his bodyguards, they were killed outright. They're badly burned, and injured bodies taken out of the car by bystanders.
We were there within a few minutes of the missile striking the car. No one else was hurt. It was what Israelis call a pinpoint operation. Palestinians call this a targeted assassination. The big picture, though, Bill, is this, within an hour or so of this happening, Hamas called us here at CNN in Gaza and said that the hudna (ph), or the cease-fire, is now over and that all bets are off.
We've also heard from Islamic Jihad. We have spoken with them, and they say that they are reassessing the cease-fire as a result of this strike on Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards.
The road map, as it were, in something of a tailspin. The Palestinian Authority, a spokesman saying that this was an irresponsible decision by Israel to strike at Abu Shanab. They say it will completely change the situation and obstruct the Palestinian Authority from what he said were steps planned to crackdown on Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He says that the Palestinian Authority must re- evaluate the decisions that were taken last evening at those meetings to crackdown.
Now we were about half a mile from this scene when it happened. We had just finished interviewing a senior Palestinian security official who told us the decision had been taken at the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority to disarm and basically break down the military wing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the list of names had been drawn up and targets selected and that operations would begin over the coming days. That is now off the table it would appear -- Bill.
HEMMER: Michael Holmes, by way of videophone in Gaza City. Yet again, Michael, thanks for that.
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 21, 2003 - 08:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the serious news on that Israeli attack that killed a prominent Hamas figure.
Michael Holmes at the scene when the attack went down now with us by way of videophone in Gaza City.
Michael, what's happening now? Good afternoon, there.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good afternoon to you, Bill.
Yes, certainly a dramatic few hours here in Gaza. It's been a dramatic 24 hours or so. Over the last 24 hours, the Palestinian Authority met here in Gaza, they went to Ramallah, they met with Yasser Arafat, they decided that they would dismantle military wing of Hamas and the military wing of Islamic Jihad. Well, you can see what has happened just a matter of a few hours ago. An Israeli helicopter gunship fired -- at least three missiles into this vehicle that you're looking at, inside Abu Shanab, senior Hamas official, a founder of the organization. Two of his bodyguards, they were killed outright. They're badly burned, and injured bodies taken out of the car by bystanders.
We were there within a few minutes of the missile striking the car. No one else was hurt. It was what Israelis call a pinpoint operation. Palestinians call this a targeted assassination. The big picture, though, Bill, is this, within an hour or so of this happening, Hamas called us here at CNN in Gaza and said that the hudna (ph), or the cease-fire, is now over and that all bets are off.
We've also heard from Islamic Jihad. We have spoken with them, and they say that they are reassessing the cease-fire as a result of this strike on Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards.
The road map, as it were, in something of a tailspin. The Palestinian Authority, a spokesman saying that this was an irresponsible decision by Israel to strike at Abu Shanab. They say it will completely change the situation and obstruct the Palestinian Authority from what he said were steps planned to crackdown on Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He says that the Palestinian Authority must re- evaluate the decisions that were taken last evening at those meetings to crackdown.
Now we were about half a mile from this scene when it happened. We had just finished interviewing a senior Palestinian security official who told us the decision had been taken at the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority to disarm and basically break down the military wing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the list of names had been drawn up and targets selected and that operations would begin over the coming days. That is now off the table it would appear -- Bill.
HEMMER: Michael Holmes, by way of videophone in Gaza City. Yet again, Michael, thanks for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
