Israeli Army Kills Palestinian Man and Boy
G A Z A, Feb. 13 -- Israeli helicopter forces killed a Palestinian military leader with a missile strike on his car today and troops shot dead a 14-year-old boy in the latest spasms of the Palestinian uprising.
Outgoing prime minister Ehud Barak said the missile attackin the Gaza Strip that killed Masoud Ayad, a major in thePalestinian security forces, was a message to militants.
Hundreds of people gathered around the twisted remains ofthe car, which was hit by at least three missiles on a road to the Erez crossing to Israel, and chanted "Death to Israel." A Kalashnikov rifle was seen in the wreckage.
Hospital officials said Israeli soldiers had later shot14-year-old Bilal Ramadan in the heart near the Karni crossing in Gaza. The circumstances were not immediately clear but there were no reports of clashes there at the time.
The violence coincided with what appeared to be the finalstages of talks to form a left-right coalition of national unity between Barak's Labor and the Likud party of ex-general Ariel Sharon, who easily won a prime ministerial election a week ago.
Sharon Working on Deal
Officials said Sharon was close to a deal with Labor onways to tackle more than four months of unrest and that talks would continue today.
Violence has flared anew since the election of Sharon, whois regarded by Arabs as a war criminal, and risks deteriorating into a series of tit-for-tat killings.
In a statement, Barak said the helicopter attack sent a"clear message that anyone who intends to harm Israelis will not escape and the long arm of the Israel Defense Forces will know how to locate and even the score with him."
Witnesses said Ayad had tried but failed to jump from thecar after the first missile struck. He was pronounced dead by doctors at Gaza's Shifa hospital.
Palestinians said Ayad had been a major in Force 17,Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's elite force. Israel's army said he had been working on behalf of the Lebanese Hizbollah guerrilla group which is armed and trained by Iran.
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