WEST BANK (voa) – Palestinian officials say Israeli forces are trying to storm Palestinian security headquarters in Ramallah as Israel widens its offensive in the West Bank in a hunt for Palestinian militants.
The Palestinians say the Israel army used Palestinians as human shields to approach the offices of Palestinian security chief Jibril Rajoub. Israel denies the charge. Palestinian officials say 400 Palestinians are trapped in the offices and Israel says several of them are wanted for masterminding attacks against Israel.
Earlier Tuesday, Palestinians say Israeli forces moved into the Dheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem. On Monday, Israeli tanks and troops moved into the towns of Tulkarem and Bethlehem after re-occupying Qalqilya late Sunday.
Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains trapped inside his Ramallah headquarters where he has been closely surrounded by Israeli forces since Friday.
The Israeli army says eight Israeli soldiers were wounded and at least 500 Palestinians rounded up during house-to-house searches in Ramallah aimed at flushing out militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Sunday that Israel is at war against terrorism and he asserted that Mr. Arafat is directing that terror. In Jerusalem Monday, Israel suffered its sixth bombing in as many days.
The Al-Aqsa Brigade, a splinter group of Mr. Arafat’s Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed only the suspected bomber.
Also Monday, Israeli officials say a Palestinian sniper killed an Israeli in southern Jerusalem.
In other violence, witnesses say Israeli troops shot and wounded seven foreign peace activists and a Palestinian television cameraman in the re-occupied West Bank town of Beit Jala.
