Friday, September 13, 2002

Before dawn, the IDF raids Brazil r.c. and Rafah, conducting house-to-house searches, raiding and destroying equipment in local Fatah offices, bulldozing 8 Palestinian homes, 6 suspected weapons factories, damaging 17 houses and 3 factories, sparking an exchange of gunfire with Palestinians, killing 1 AMB mbr., wounding 6 Palestinians. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in Tubas. A mysterious explosion destroys a house in Gaza, killing 3 Palestinians (including wanted Fatah mbr. Iyad Sharif), injuring 4; the IDF claims a bomb Sharif was preparing exploded prematurely. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket (possibly a Qassam-3) at an IDF convoy escorting a settler bus nr. Netzarim, causing no damage. (AP, HA, PM, WP, WT 9/13; NYT, WP, WT 9/14; PCHR 9/17, 9/18)