Ten Palestinians, among them a four-year-old girl and a boy aged 13, were killed in two separate Israeli raids in Gaza yesterday. Palestinian officials accused Israel of exploiting the fact that the world's attention was focused on Iraq to carry out almost daily raids deep inside the Strip in which dozens of people have been killed in recent weeks.
Palestinian Authority President Mr Yasser Arafat, meanwhile, suffered a rare political defeat when the Palestinian legislature yesterday refused to accept his demand that any cabinet put together by a prime minister would first have to be "presented" to him.
In the early hours of yesterday morning, troops backed by tanks and attack helicopters moved into the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza in an attempt to target Mohammed Saafen (34) a senior member of the militant Islamic Jihad, which the army says was involved in attacks on Israeli targets.
Undercover troops surrounded Saafen's home and demanded he surrender. All family members emerged except for Saafen, who opened fire on the troops. He was killed by return fire. Troops then demolished his home.
The entry of Israeli forces into Nuseirat sparked fierce firefights with gunmen in the camp, during which another six people were killed, including the 13-year-old boy and four-year-old Ihlam Assar, who was hit by tank fire.
"All the children gathered near the kitchen while the tanks were firing outside, from all directions," said Ihlam's aunt, Itmead.
"The girl \ was standing next to my daughter when she got a bullet in her chest, leaving her in a pool of blood among the scared children."
Three more Palestinians, two of them policeman, were killed during an Israeli operation in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, from where militants have often fired small, rudimentary rockets at Israeli towns. Yesterday, a few hours after the Nuseirat raid, several rockets were fired into Israel, but did not cause any injuries.
Palestinian Information Ministerr Mr Yasser Abed Rabbo yesterday said that Israel was "exploiting the Iraqi issue to continue with its actions against the Palestinians".
With members of the Palestinian Legislative Council refusing to rubberstamp the alterations Mr Arafat wants to introduce to a new law that will enable the appointment of a Palestinian prime minister, it was decided to adjourn the vote until today.
The Palestinian leader dismissed reports he was trying to limit the powers of a future prime minister as psychological warfare being waged by Israel.
Mr Arafat said he was not trying to circumvent Mahmoud Abbas [Abu Mazen\], a senior PLO leader who he has appointed to the newly-created post. Abu Mazen, however, has yet to officially accept the nomination, and is said to be waiting to see if Mr
Arafat is willing to devolve real power to a prime minister.
The law submitted by Mr Arafat to the Palestinian legislature suggests the powers of the prime minister will be limited. According to the bill, most of the authority, including the power to fire the prime minister and his ministers, would remain in Mr Arafat's hands.