Violence escalates in Israel; eight Palestinians killed

Palestinian in Bethlehem en route to the funeral of militant Atif Abayyat

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A day of violence extended into the night Saturday in the West Bank, as Palestinian security sources reported that an Israeli helicopter gunship fired two missiles at a building in Bethlehem Saturday night.

Eight people were wounded in the attack, five of them critically, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.

Israeli Army sources said the helicopter pilot spotted armed Palestinians on the roof of a building, and fired the two missiles in self defense.

Earlier, fighting on the West Bank took the lives of eight other Palestinians and wounded at least 12 others Saturday, according to the Red Crescent.

VIDEO Israel demands Palestinians hand over those responsible for Zeevi's killing. CNN's Mike Hanna reports (October 19) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES Analysis: Arafat's Rubicon    EXTRA INFORMATION • Profile: Rechavam Zeevi  • Mustafa Zibri and the PFLP  • On the Scene: Can Arafat haul in the militants?

The Israeli army said Israel Defense Forces exchanged gunfire with Palestinians during operations at the towns of Tulkarem and Qalqilya, but no Israeli soldiers were hit.

The IDF said it tightened its hold around Tulkarem and Qalqilya, taking over the Palestinian security forces command in Qalqilya and other strategic points in the two cities. The army said it destroyed positions from which shooting had originated in the past and arrested suspects.

The Red Crescent said two Palestinians were killed in Tulkarem and two others were killed in Qalqilya. Of those wounded, one was in Ramallah and the others were in Qalqilya and Tulkarem.

The Red Crescent also reported two Palestinians -- a woman and a man -- were killed in Bethlehem and two more were killed in El-aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. There was no immediate word on activity in Bethlehem or El-aida from the Israeli army.

The raids on Saturday are the latest in a series of Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory that began Thursday following the assassination of Israel's ultra-nationalist tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi on Wednesday.

The U.S. has been trying to restore calm in the Middle East, which it considers vital to maintaining Arab support for its war against terrorism.

Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit told AP that Israel had no intention of holding on to Palestinian territory but had to "stop Palestinian attacks against Israel."

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In addition to Saturday's raids, Israeli troops have entered and sealed the towns of Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem and Beit Jalla since Thursday. Palestinians are barred from entering or leaving those communities.

Israeli troops have repeatedly entered Palestinian towns in the past year, but the series of raids launched Thursday marked the broadest Israeli military strike so far, AP reported.

Across the West Bank and Gaza Friday, five Palestinians were killed and seven others injured.

And at Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem, three Israeli soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, after Israeli tanks rolled into the Palestinian-controlled area.

"We consider this comprehensive Israeli attack an implementation to a war policy against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people," the Palestinian leadership said in a statement.

The Palestinians said the Israelis were "taking advantage" of Zeevi's killing to "reoccupy more Palestinian land."

In Washington, the U.S. State Department warned Israel to stop military incursions into Palestinian areas.

"Israeli entries into Palestinian-controlled areas are not helpful, complicate the situation and should be halted," the department said Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Israel has been pressing the Palestinian Authority to arrest those responsible for Zeevi's death, which members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed to have carried out.

On Friday Palestinian sources said 33 members of the PFLP had been seized.

Twenty members of the PFLP were arrested in the West Bank city of Ramallah Friday, Palestinian sources told CNN.

That comes in addition to 13 PFLP members arrested overnight Thursday in Gaza, according to Palestinian security sources.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said everything was being done to solve Zeevi's killing.

"Every effort is being exerted by the Palestinian Authority by President Arafat to bring those who killed Mr. Zeevi to justice under Palestinian law," Erakat said. "We need to come back to the negotiating table immediately without condition because this is the only way to save the lives of Palestinians and Israelis."