More than 1,000 homeless after Israel sweeps through refuge camp

ISRAEL withdrew most forces from a Gaza Strip refugee camp yesterday after a swoop on suspected arms-smuggling tunnels, using tanks and bulldozers, that left eight Palestinian dead and more than 1,000 homeless.

Aides to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said he had fully recovered from illness. He held a meeting of his Fatah faction that confirmed a deal to have an emergency cabinet serve for an initial 30 days without an interior minister.

Saturday’s compromise, circumventing the key issue of control of the interior ministry, appeared to put in abeyance Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie’s threat to resign over Mr Arafat’s rejection of his nominee for the post, Nasser Youssef.