Tense calm at Hamas leader's home

Yassin is the spiritual leader of Hamas

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- A Palestinian Authority decision to place Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin under house arrest set off demonstrations and clashes with police Thursday that left at least one Palestinian dead.

The Palestinian Authority claimed it had arrested about 170 suspects in a crackdown following a weekend of terrorist attacks that left 25 Israelis dead and three suicide bombers dead.

Hundreds of people, meanwhile, gathered outside Yassin's home on Thursday. Those congregating amid the tense calm were mostly young people. Some stood on the shells of cars burned in the night-time protest.

One Palestinian demonstrator died and a Palestinian policeman was injured from the violence, which began when Palestinian intelligence agents and Palestinian police delivered an order for the wheelchair-bound Yassin's arrest.

The man, identified by Israel Radio as Hamas activist Mohammed Salmi, was shot overnight during fighting between Palestinian Authority forces and members and supporters of the militant Islamic group. He later died of his wounds at a Gaza hospital, according to Israel Radio.

Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat is under growing Israeli and U.S. pressure to rein in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups. Israel has said it wants the Palestinians to arrest 36 people it believes are at the top of organizations responsible for killing Israelis.

Palestinian police said thousands of militants with the Izzeddin al-Qassam brigade, the military wing of Hamas, started firing on police outside the home.

A Hamas source inside the house with Yassin disputed that report, however.

He told CNN the people were "marching in protest" of the house arrest, and that the only gunfire was shots in the air by Palestinian police.

Hamas claimed responsibility for attacks over the weekend that killed 25 Israelis and led to major Israeli military strikes against Palestinian targets.

Yassin's house arrest was a significant move by Arafat, who was scheduled to meet Thursday with retired U.S. Middle East peace envoy Anthony Zinni.

Arafat promised Zinni in a meeting earlier this month he would devote 100 percent of his efforts to fighting terrorism.

A fourth suicide bomber set off a blast Wednesday in Jerusalem, killing himself and injuring six others. In a statement faxed to news agencies, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack and said the bomber was targeting Israeli government officials. Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas claimed responsibility for the weekend bombings.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a militant group dedicated to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel. There are different, unconnected groups called Islamic Jihad in different Arab countries.

More diplomacy was scheduled Thursday, with Zinni expected to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher also planned to meet with Arafat, Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ahead of Sunday's Arab League meeting in Cairo.

On Wednesday, the Bush administration froze the assets of a Texas-based Islamic foundation and targeted two Middle East-based banks for what it said were their ties to Hamas.