BBC - Sunday, 13 May, 2001, 04:19 GMT 05:19 UK

Gaza gunbattle caps day of violence

A Palestinian man is reported to have been killed and at least seven other people injured during clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli defence force says its soldiers returned fire after coming under near continuous gunfire for about two hours on Saturday evening from a Palestinian police position near the Maghazi refugee camp.

A BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says this is part of a now familiar pattern in which the Israeli army has been trying to flush out Palestinians who have been using mortars to attack Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as positions in Israel.

Earlier, two Palestinians were killed on Saturday in the West Bank town of Jenin when Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a car parked near the security headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.

The latest violence comes amid reports that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has sent an envoy to meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington next week to stress the Palestinians' desire to resume peace talks with Israel.

The vehicle attacked by the Israelis in Jenin was carrying several members of the Fatah military faction.

A man inside the car died of severe burns. He is said to have been a senior member of the Tanzim, a militia associated with Mr Arafat's Fatah movement.

A Palestinian policeman was killed by shrapnel as he stood close to the car.

Thousands of Palestinians attended the funerals of the two men in the town, chanting slogans of revenge and calling for peace efforts with Israel to be abandoned.

'Policy of assassination'

The Palestinian leadership condemned what they called Israel's "policy of assassination" directed against prominent security officials.

Israeli military sources had said on Friday that Fatah, Tanzim and Force-17, Mr Arafat's presidential guard, were all now considered enemies.

Saturday also saw the Palestinians bury 16-year-old Hassan Tafish, who was shot dead on Friday while throwing stones at Israeli troops at the Karni crossing between Gaza and Israel.

And Israeli forces used tanks and heavy machine guns against Palestinian gunmen in a cemetery opposite the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim after a settler was injured in a mortar attack.

Israel says its incursions into Palestinian areas will continue as long as Israeli citizens face the danger of attack from Pale

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001