Palestinians besieged at church of the nativity

Scores of Palestinian gunmen were today under siege inside Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity hiding from Israeli troops, helicopters and tanks that invaded the city in an offensive aimed at crushing Palestinian militias in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to push into other West Bank cities, launching pre-dawn incursions in Salfeet and Jenin, a city known to have been home to some of the suicide bombers who have terrorised Israelis in recent weeks.