Saturday, April 14, 2001

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue at a high level. In Gaza, IDF tanks, bulldozers enter Rafah; demolish the PA military intelligence headquarters, 17 Palestinian homes, 40 stores; damage 13 stores. Over 160 Palestinians are left homeless, 43 are injured. An Egyptian woman on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border is wounded by gunfire. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Gush Katif settlement, causing no damage. A bomb explodes in the Gaza City home of Muhammad Nassar, a bodyguard for Hamas spiritual leader Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, killing Nassar, injuring 4; the PA says Nassar was preparing a bomb. Israel admits that the car bomb incident in Ramallah on 4/12 was a "failed attempt" on Fatah's Abu Hmeid. Inside Israel, 2 bombs explode in Kefar Saba, destroying 2 cars, injuring 1 Palestinian (the alleged assailant). (AFP, REU 4/14; LAW, NYT, WP, WT 4/15; MENA 4/15 in WNC 4/16; MM 4/17; LAW 4/20)

Hizballah fires a missile fr. s. Lebanon at an IDF tank in the Shaba` Farms area, killing 1 IDF soldier. In retaliation, the IDF carries out air and artillery strikes on Hizballah targets in s. Lebanon. (AFP 4/14; RL 4/14 in WNC 4/16; NYT, WP 4/15; WP 4/16; HJ 4/19 in WNC 4/24; MEI 4/20, 5/4)