Al Aqsa claims responsibility for Jerusalem shooting

Shooting follows Israeli raid in Nablus

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The military arm of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement claimed responsibility for a shooting in central Jerusalem Tuesday that injured more than 40 people.

Ambulance workers said at least 15 people suffered bullet wounds.

Forty-six people were taken to hospitals, at least six of them suffering from serious wounds, ambulance workers said. The wounds of two people were said to be moderate while another 38 were called lightly hurt.

The gunman was killed by police, Jerusalem Police Chief Mikki Levy said.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS JERUSALEM Gunman opens fire on a downtown street, injuring 46 people before being killed.The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility. NABLUS, West Bank Israeli troops kill four members of Hamas in a raid on what Israel describes as an explosives laboratory. In response, the Islamic fundamentalist group vows it will wage an "all-out war" against Israel. TULKAREM, West Bank Israel announces it has begun to withdraw troops after taking over the town and arresting what it describes as "20 terror supporters." RESOURCES In-Depth: Mideast Struggle for Peace

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades identified the gunman as Saeed Ibrihim Ramadan, 24, from a village near Nablus. The brigades said Ramadan's attack was in revenge for the killing of Fatah leader Raed al-Karmi on January 14 and for the deaths of four Hamas activists who were killed in an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Nablus earlier Tuesday.

Karmi gained a spot on Israel's most-wanted list after taking responsibility for the deaths last year of two Tel Aviv restaurant owners who were killed in Tulkarem. Israeli authorities have also accused him of being involved in the deaths of eight other Israelis.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Nablus raid targeted an explosives laboratory, and said the people killed were terrorists. The raid prompted a vow by the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas that it would wage an "all out war" against Israel.

Meanwhile, the IDF said its troops began withdrawing from the West Bank town of Tulkarem; Palestinians disputed that assertion.

In Ramallah Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority spokesman blamed the Jerusalem shooting on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"Sharon is responsible for what's happening," said Nabil Abu Redeneh, a spokesman for Arafat. "He is responsible for the cycle of killings and escalations. Until the United States is convinced that there should be a political resolution to this conflict, there will be no end to the cycle of violence."

But Ra'anan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon, blamed Arafat. He said it is now clear that "the attack today is part of deliberate campaign of Mr. Arafat and PLO to escalate the situation."

According to Levy, the police chief, the attacker in Jerusalem walked to the corner of Jaffa and King George streets and began firing at people waiting at a bus stop near by.

A man who works at a store in nearby Zion Square said he heard shots and then saw the gunman running. "They (the gunman and police chasing him) came from two streets," the man said. "It was the scariest thing I have ever seen. I always hear about it in the news but now I see it happening here. It's become impossible to live in this country."

Four dead from raid in Nablus

Tuesday's shooting in Jerusalem and raid in Nablus were the latest developments in a recent upsurge of violence that has seen increased attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli soldiers and civilians followed by retaliatory strikes by Israel. Political relations between the two sides were further strained by the discovery of a shipload of missiles and other arms that Israel says was destined for the Palestinians.

In Nablus, nine people were arrested on top of what the IDF reported as four dead, during what the IDF said was an exchange of fire. The IDF said during its raid that troops "found an explosives lab and a large amount of explosives."

Palestinian sources disputed the assertion there was a gun battle. The Palestinians called the raid an assassination, saying four people were shot at close range, three as they lay in their beds and one who was taking a shower.

Palestinian sources said those killed were members of Hamas, an organization known among Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza for actions such as building schools, hospitals and helping the community in social and religious ways. Its military wing, Izzedine al Quassam, has carried out suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli civilians.

A short time after the raid, Hamas sent a message to several news agencies saying it would wage an "all out war" against Israel.

According to Palestinian security sources the four killed in the Nablus raid were Youssef Surabgi, Nassim Abu al Russ, Jasser Samaro and Karim Mafarjeh.

Israeli security sources said two of the dead men -- Jasser Samaro and Nassim Abu al Russ -- were involved in building bombs used in terror attacks in Haifa, at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem and at the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv.

The seizure of Tulkarem Monday marked the first time the Israeli military has taken control of an entire Palestinian town since the current Palestinian uprising began 16 months ago. The IDF said it "successfully completed its mission and is currently stationed around the city, prepared for any eventuality."

Lt. Gen. Shaul Moffaz, chief of the IDF general staff, said Israeli troops had arrested "20 terror supporters" including four people on Israel's most wanted list.

Palestinians said at least four Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded in Tulkarem and Ramallah during Israeli operations Monday.