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CNN Saturday Morning News

Radical Palestinians Killed in Assault on Israeli Soldiers

Aired August 25, 2001 - 09:21   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: More bloodshed in the Middle East early today. A radical Palestinian group is claiming responsibility for an assault on Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Jerusalem with the details. Ben, what can you tell us about this group?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, this group that's claiming responsibility for the attack is called the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It's based in Damascus, and until now, actually, it hasn't really conducted too many activities in the 10 1/2-month-old Palestinian Intifada.

What happened was that three Israeli soldiers were killed, seven were wounded, when two members of the Democratic Front infiltrated inside an Israeli military outpost in the southern Gaza Strip inside the Israeli-Jewish settlement block of Gushkatif (ph). The two Palestinians managed to cut through the wires, make their way inside the outpost, where they engaged Israeli soldiers with machine guns and hand grenades.

And according to one Israeli officer, they were at one point even in hand-to-hand combat. Now, the two Palestinians were killed during the attack, one during the battle itself, the other was shot and killed as he fled the scene.

Now, the two Palestinians were former members of Palestinian security. They were filmed making a statement beforehand in which they said that they were conducting this attack to avenge the deaths of Palestinians killed during the Intifada.

Now, as I said before, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine has not until now played an active part in the Palestinian uprising, and of course its involvement further complicates a very complicated situation on the ground.

And the attack, of course, dims the prospects of cease fire talks, which were being discussed, which were tentatively agreed upon by both sides -- Kyra.

FLOCK: All right, Ben Wedeman, live in Jerusalem, thank you so much.

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