Fierce clashes in isolated towns and villages dominated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on its sixth day, leaving a total of 59 dead and 1,400 people injured by late on Tuesday.
The day's death toll was nine, including a 15-year-old boy shot by Israeli soldiers at Nitzarim Crossroads, Palestinian sources said.
As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President
Yassir Arafat headed to France for talks with US and French leaders slated for Wednesday, more fighting was expected in Gaza and the West Bank, where Palestinians have presided over a fragile autonomy granted by Israel in recent years.
Israeli Deputy Chief of General Staff Moshe Yaalon warned on Tuesday that the worst of the unrest was yet to come, a fear echoed in the Palestinian camp.
The clashes - the worst in the West Asia in four years – started last week, after former Israeli Defence Minister Ariel Sharon, a right-wing politician who is particularly disliked among Palestinians, made a high-profile visit in Jerusalem to a spot that is holy to both Jews and Muslims. Sharon opposes any compromise on Israeli domination of Jerusalem, a sticking point in ongoing peace negotiations.
Israel has come under fire in the international arena for using tanks and air attacks against Palestinians armed only with rocks and guns. A 12-year-old Palestinian boy died in his father's arms after getting caught in the crossfire on Sunday, the most poignant scene of carnage to emerge from the conflict.
Israelis fought stone-hurdling Palestinians on Tuesday with military helicopters and shellings in Nitzarim, Rafah south of Gaza, and the West Bank town of Nablus, Palestinian sources said. In
Nitzarim, Israeli helicopters shelled apartment buildings on Monday
killing two Palestinians.
The clashes broke the latest in a series of truces over the past week. Israeli tanks continued to guard the entrances to Palestinian towns and villages, and helicopters continued to fly over populated Palestinian areas, eyewitnesses said.
Palestinian Brigadier Isama El Ali, the military liaison officer with Israel, charged that Israel had illegally placed their military within Palestinian territory.
''The military base that you see at the crossroads of Nitzarim is basically illegal because it was established on a completely controlled Palestinian area,'' he said.
Bureau Report
