The IDF fires a missile fr. a drone at a group of wanted Palestinians in Khan Yunis, killing Islamic Jihad mbrs. and brothers Omar and Ziad Abu Mustafa, wounding at least 3 in an apparent assassination; fires on a funeral procession in Khan Yunis, wounding 2 teenagers; sends troops into Balata r.c., fires on residential areas, then fires on stonethrowing youths who confront the troops, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. ( JAZ, NYT, WP, WT, XIN 10/24; PR 10/27; PCHR 10/28)
Arafat, who continues to suffer the flu and complain of stomach pain, is visited by a 2d team of Tunisian doctors who perform an endoscopy, a biopsy, and blood tests that come back negative for cancer. The doctors second the Egyptian team’s 10/19 diagnosis. (MENA, VOI 10/23 in WNC 10/26; CNN 10/24; JAZ, VOP 10/25 in WNC 10/27; MM 10/26; JAZ, MENA, VOP 10/26 in WNC 10/28; BBC, HA 10/28)