Israel jets take revenge

Israel took swift and bloody revenge today for the Palestinian machine-gun murder of six people at a bar mitzvah party.

Within hours of a lone gunman spraying guests with bullets in a banquet hall in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, Israeli warplanes bombed a Palestinian security position in the West Bank.

F16 fighters launched missiles at the compound in the town of Tul Karm, only a few miles from Hadera, killing one policeman and injuring 40 other people. Palestinian officials said prisoners in a jail in the compound had been released just before the attack. In the past, Israelis have often targeted prisons where wanted militants are held.

The raid came shortly after the Al-Aqsa Brigades, a military militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, said it had carried out the bar mitzvah attack to avenge the killing of one of its leaders earlier in the week.

As well as the six people killed in the banquet hall, 33 were injured when the gunman burst into the party. After opening fire with an M-16 assault rifle, he was overpowered by guests and then shot dead by police.

Avi Kakon, who was standing opposite the Armon David hall, said he heard gunshots, turned around and saw a man wearing khaki-coloured clothes. "He started shooting everyone at the entrance to the hall," said Kakon. "He advanced towards the banquet hall while shooting. People were still dancing when he opened fire. He shot people who were sitting at tables. He started to run away when they tried to catch him."

Another witness said: "Several young guys who saw himshooting ran at him with bottles and cans and threw them at his head while he was shooting, they hit him ... then the police officer came and shot him five times in the head."

US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker called the attack "vicious" and a "horrific act of terrorism".

There are fears that the incident is going to plunge the Middle East back into the spiral of bloodshed that has marked the 16 month conflict before a lull over the past four weeks following a declared ceasefire by Mr Arafat.

According to members of the Fatah-related Al Aqsa Brigades, the attack was carried out by Fatah member Abed al Salem Tsadek Hasson, from the West Bank town of Nablus.

The gunman's name was announced over loudspeakers in Tul Karm during celebrations that took place following the attack. The Al Aqsa Bridages announced that the attack was carried out to avenge the killing of Fatah member Raed Karmi on Monday.

Hadera police had been on heightened alert in recent days following warnings of a possible attack, but had not received specific information.

The attack was close to a bus stop where four Israeli women were shot dead by two Palestinian police officers on 28 October, 2001.

In Ramallah, Israeli troops also returned this morning to the positions in Palestinian-controlled areas which they had held until a few weeks ago.

Al Jazeera reported that the army had taken over the Ramallah home of Marwan Barghouti, West Bank leader of the Tanzim paramilitary.

"In response to recent terrorist attacks and the one last night in (the Israeli city) of Hadera, carried out by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military attacked the Palestinian security headquarters in Tulkarm," the spokesman said.

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