Israeli Forces Kill 6 Palestinians in Gaza

Israeli security forces killed six Palestinians in two incidents in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night, hours after the army noted that there has been a sharp decline in attacks by Palestinians in the last two weeks.

In the first incident, an Israeli army spokeswoman initially said troops in an armored personnel carrier were fired on as they traveled between the settlements of Alei Sinai and Netzarim. The soldiers shot back and were reinforced by a tank that fired at least one shell, killing all three gunmen, the spokeswoman said. Later, she said that the Palestinians did not open fire on the soldiers and that it was not clear whether the Palestinians were armed.

“They were probably armed. We don’t know. We will approach the bodies tomorrow,” she said.

Palestinian sources in Gaza said Israeli troops fired four tank shells, as well as rounds from heavy machine guns, at a Bedouin village near the settlements. They could not confirm the number of dead.

On Dec. 2, Palestinian militants cut through the security fence around Alei Sinai and killed an Israeli settler. In an earlier attack on the settlement, infiltrating Islamic militants killed two Israelis.

In the second incident Sunday, a special anti-terrorism unit of the Israeli police shot and killed three Palestinians who reportedly tried to breach the fence dividing Gaza and Israel near Beit Hanoun, in northeastern Gaza. According to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, security forces called on the suspected infiltrators to halt, and “in response, one of the Palestinians opened fire and tried to activate an explosive charge.”

All three men were shot dead by the Israeli squad, according to the statement. Israeli media reported that the three were wearing belts packed with explosives.

The killings came as the Israeli army acknowledged that attacks on Israelis have dropped since Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, in a televised speech, called on his people to observe a cease-fire and vowed a crackdown on militants.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dismissed Arafat’s efforts, charging that he has done nothing to smash the infrastructure of militant Islamic groups that have carried out a series of deadly attacks against Israeli targets.

But the army’s statistics show that attacks have averaged 11 a day since Arafat’s Dec. 16 speech. In the two weeks before the speech, the attacks averaged 18 a day--including shootings, grenade attacks, bombings and stabbings.

Since Dec. 16, one Israeli, a reserve soldier, has been killed by Palestinians; he was shot by infiltrators on the border with Jordan. About 20 Palestinians, including those killed Sunday night, have been killed. Six of those were shot in clashes between Palestinian security forces and supporters of Islamic militant groups in Gaza.

Palestinian officials say the attack statistics are evidence that they are enforcing the cease-fire. But Sharon continues to insist that there must be seven days of absolute quiet before any peace negotiations can resume. If there has been less violence lately, the government says, it is because Israeli forces are thwarting attacks.

Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told the Cabinet on Sunday that the army believes it is sitting on a “powder keg” and that there could be an upsurge in attacks any day. The Palestinians, Ben-Eliezer said, are preparing for war.

Sharon has allowed Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to hold talks with Ahmed Korei, the top Palestinian peace negotiator, but says those talks are confined to obtaining a cease-fire.