Israel kills three key Arafat leaders

Israel assassinated three senior leaders of Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction in another round of bloodshed sweeping the country.

Palestinian officials said the three were killed when an Apache helicopter fired missiles at their car in the West Bank town of Bituniya. A fourth passenger was seriously injured.

The men killed were Muhand Dirya Abu Haliwa, an aide to Fatah's West Bank leader Marwan Barghouti; Omar Ka'adan, the body guard of Mahmoud Damara (Abu Awad) head of the Force 17 in Ramallah; and Fawzi Murar. All three were members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militia lwhich has been behind suicide bombings and attacks on soldiers.

"In a few hours, several days or weeks you will see that you have done nothing and the situation will deteriorate in the most horrible way you have ever seen," Mr Barghouti said on Israeli TV. Five Palestinians were reported killed today as the Israeli army made another thrust into the Gaza Strip, Israeli Army Radio said.

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