Israel admits hundreds killed in Jenin fighting

Israel has admitted that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Jenin during fighting in the West Bank city.

Israeli army spokesman Brigadier General Ron Kitrey told Army Radio that "there were apparently hundreds of dead" in the Jenin refugee camp.

Palestinian gunmen fought Israeli troops for days after they entered the camp in a bid to stamp out terrorism.

Mr Kitrey said those killed would be given proper burials. The issue is extremely sensitive because of Palestinian allegations that the military is trying to hide the scope and the nature of the deaths in the camp.

The Palestinians say Israel massacred camp residents and used a bulldozer to push the bodies into a mass grave - charges vehemently denied by Israel.

Mr Kitrey has now repeated Israel's denial of a mass burial and a massacre, saying efforts to collect and bury the bodies would begin during the day.

Another senior army official said the bodies would be buried in a special cemetery in the Jordan Valley. The Israelis have also used the cemetery to bury Lebanese fighters killed in cross-boarder clashes.

An Israeli army official said: "We made it clear to the Palestinians that if they do not bury their dead, we will be forced to bury them ourselves to prevent disease and guard the respect for the dead."

The city was effectively closed to journalists and aid agencies during most of the fighting, so the allegations of massacres and mass burials could not be independently confirmed.

Journalists who entered Jenin yesterday saw widespread devastation from army bulldozers that had sheared the front walls off homes.