Violence shatters Mideast peace hopes

EFFORTS to find peace in the Middle East were damaged further yesterday as the Israeli prime minister vowed to hunt Hamas militants “to the bitter end” and the Islamic terror group threatened to unleash multiple attacks.

At least 35 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and more than 130 wounded in a cycle of tit-for-tat violence that has escalated sharply.

Israeli helicopter gunships launched their third missile attack in 24 hours against vehicles carrying Hamas activists in Gaza City yesterday. A Hamas military activist, Yasser Taha, was killed along with his 25-year-old wife Fatima, their two-year-old daughter Asnan and four other people, doctors said. Twenty-five people were wounded.

The three strikes have killed 18 Palestinians about half of them civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had earlier ridiculed Palestinian leaders as "cry-babies" for saying they could not disarm the militant groups by force.

He said Israel would not wait around for his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas to persuade the terrorists to halt their attacks. Mr Abbas was a "chick that has not grown its feathers yet," Mr Sharon said.

The spike in violence a Hamas bus bombing in Jerusalem and three Israeli air strikes came only a week after US President George Bush launched a Mideast road map to peace at a summit in Jordan with both prime ministers.

Difficulties in implementing the plan had been expected, but many were surprised by such a rapid return to carnage and bloodshed.

Mr Bush angrily condemned Wednesday's bus bombing and urged all nations to cut off financial aid to terrorists. Earlier, he had rebuked Mr Sharon for a botched Israeli attempt to kill Hamas founder Abdel Aziz Rantisi, which led to threats of revenge by the group.

Hamas said yesterday that it was preparing for multiple attacks.

"We are calling on all military cells to act immediately and act like an earthquake to blow up the Zionist entity and tear it to pieces," the group said in a statement.

It also urged foreigners to leave Israel for their own safety.

Mr Sharon declared that although he remains committed to negotiating a peace deal, he will still go after the violent Palestinian groups.

"The state of Israel will continue to pursue the Palestinian terror organisations and their leaders to the bitter end," he said.