Israel pulls out of Jenin camp

Israel pulled its troops out of Jenin this morning but remained in control of Nablus and Bethlehem and continued its search for militant cells in villages on the West Bank.

The operation is the final stage of an invasion which the United Nations said had caused "colossal suffering".

Brigadier Eyal Schlein, the Israeli army's Jenin division commander, said his forces had destroyed "infrastructure - explosive labs, organisation heads and also terrorists". But he told Israel TV, "The attacks will continue - we haven't achieved any ceasefire."

President George Bush said in Washington that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was keeping his promise to withdraw and was on schedule. "He gave me a timetable and he met the timetable," Bush added. He dismissed assessments that Secretary of State Colin Powell's Middle-East mission, which ended on Wednesday without a ceasefire, had failed, and said the US would continue to pursue a truce.

In Gaza early today, Israeli troops moved briefly into Palestinian-controlled territory near the border with Egypt, scene of frequent clashes and incursions. Palestinian doctors said two people were killed by Israeli gunfire. Israeli military sources said that during a routine operation, Palestinians shot at soldiers, who returned the fire.

Also today, army radio reported that Israeli tanks had moved into the West Bank town of Qalqiliya in a "pinpoint mission". Like Jenin and other towns invaded recently, it remains surrounded as part of plans to set up a "buffer zone" between the Palestinians and Israel.

Near Nablus, the Israeli military said it had captured Husam Ataf Ali Badran, a leader of the Hamas militant organisation said to be responsible for orchestrating some of the worst suicide bombings in the last year resulting in the deaths of more than 100 Israelis.

He is alleged to have had a hand in the Passover bombing on 27 March in Netanya that triggered the Israeli drive into Palestinian areas. An army statement said his capture "is a significant blow" to Hamas. Witnesses said three others died in the raid outside the village of Beit Hassan.

Touring the Jenin camp yesterday, UN envoy Terje Larsen was harshly critical of the Israelis, though he would not take sides on Palestinian charges that Israeli troops massacred hundreds of civilians. Israel claims most of the dead were gunmen or bombers.