Israeli F-16 warplanes scream out of Gaza sky

Israeli helicopters and planes pounded Palestinian buildings for the second straight day after Israel cut off contacts with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in response to Islamic militant attacks.

US envoy Anthony Zinni met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon late yesterday, seeking clarifications about how the Israeli Security Cabinet decision would affect his cease-fire talks.

Israeli warplanes and helicopters blasted Palestinian security buildings, retaliation for Palestinian attacks on Wednesday that killed 10 Israelis and wounded 30.

Four Palestinians were killed yesterday, one during an Israeli air strike on Ramallah in the West Bank and the others in clashes with Israeli forces.

Two Palestinian boys, aged 15 and 13, were fatally shot in confrontations with Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Also, soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who was shooting at a civilian convoy in Gaza, the military said.

Late yesterday, Israeli tanks and bulldozers advanced toward the Gaza city of Khan Younis, witnesses said, on a mission to tear down buildings. The Israeli military said the operation was limited, and forces would withdraw when it was over.

Israeli F-16 warplanes screamed out of the Gaza sky and blasted police buildings for the second day in a row. Palestinians said one was a police medical facility. Doctors said 15 people were injured, none seriously.

Helicopters fired missiles at a security building next to a mosque, where windows were shattered from the blast. Witnesses said Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the militant Hamas, and the group’s spokesman, Mahmoud Zahar, were in the mosque at the time. They were not hurt.

Yassin was supposed to be under house arrest since December 6, part of Mr Arafat’s announced crackdown on militant groups. The arrest triggered a clash between Palestinian police and Hamas supporters, in which a protester was killed.

Later, Palestinian officials said Yassin, a quadriplegic, had agreed to abide by the terms of the house arrest, and police were withdrawn.

Yassin’s attendance at a mosque yesterday was concrete evidence backing up statements from Palestinian officials, who said they could not continue their operations against the militants because of the Israeli strikes. Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the strikes an Israeli ‘‘declaration of war’’.

Palestinians also suspended a day-old order closing all offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, radical Islamic groups that have claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings, including suicide attacks, that have killed scores of Israelis and injured hundreds.

The closure order followed intense US and Israeli pressure on Mr Arafat to move against the militants, but stopped short of outlawing them or starting an operation to confiscate their weapons and explosives.

Yesterday Israelis buried the 10 people killed a day before, when Palestinians ambushed a bus in the West Bank. At the same time, two Palestinian suicide bombers blew themselves up next to Israeli vehicles in Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility for all three attacks.

Responding, the Israeli air force pounded Palestinian buildings as the Security Cabinet declared that Arafat was ‘‘directly responsible’’ for the attacks and cut off all contact with him and the Palestinian Authority.

That put Mr Zinni on the spot. Since his arrival on November 26, he has been meeting with Mr Arafat, Mr Sharon and other officials, trying to arrange a truce to end more than 14 months of fighting.

A US official said the Israeli decision complicated Zinni’s mission.

Raanan Gissin, Mr Sharon’s spokesman, said: ‘‘We have not written off Zinni’s efforts.’’

Earlier, Mr Zinni met with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who said the envoy asked the Palestinians to live up to their commitments. Mr Erekat said the Israeli measures are hindering that.

Since Mr Zinni arrived, 54 Palestinians and 44 Israelis have been killed. The Palestinian toll includes 19 armed attackers and 10 suicide bombers.