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Israel warns of political attacks

Despite appeals to break a cycle of attack and counterattack, Israel broadened its campaign against Palestinian militants, saying on Friday it will go after political as well as military leaders who target Israel with terrorism.

In new strikes against Hamas targets on Friday, Israel killed an operative of the group in a missile attack in Gaza City and three hours later fired rockets at a building just a block from the home of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin.

The first attack also injured 32 Palestinians, including 10 children, doctors said. The building targeted in the second strike was a weapons factory, the Israeli military said. In the past four days, Israel has carried out seven missile strikes against Hamas targets.

In the West Bank, one Israeli was killed and two were seriously wounded in Palestinian shooting attacks.

Thirty-six Palestinians and 24 Israelis have been killed since President Bush launched a peace plan at a summit last week.

Concerned over the escalating violence, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in an interview published on Friday that deploying armed peacekeepers -- an idea opposed by Israel -- may be the only way to keep the warring parties apart long enough to begin implementing the so-called "road map" to peace and Palestinian statehood by 2005.

The plan envisions an increased role for international monitors, but does not call for armed peacekeepers.

A first contingent of 10 to 15 US monitors, including CIA and US Department of State officials, were due to arrive in the region yesterday, headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf.

Israel TV reported that Dov Weisglass, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, was flying to Washington for talks with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has said he won't use force against the Islamic militant group Hamas and other militants and needs time to persuade them to lay down arms. Egypt is mediating, and talks might be held next week between militant leaders and Egypt's intelligence chief, Palestinian officials said.

Hamas broke off truce talks with Abbas last week, prompting Israel to activate a contingency plan for hunting down Hamas leaders, including Yassin, an Israeli security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In the past 32 months of fighting, Israel has killed more than 100 wanted Palestinians in targeted attacks, including many from the Hamas military wing. The group's top political leaders were largely left alone, possibly because of Israel's fear of a bloody backlash.

After Hamas' rejection of a ceasefire, however, the group's leaders were marked for death, said the Israeli security official. They are considered "ticking bombs" -- and therefore legitimate targets -- because they set policy and order attacks on Israelis, the official said.

"There is no immunity for anybody who either orders or executes terrorist activities," said Avi Pazner, a government spokesman.

Military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily on Friday that "from now on, everyone is in the crosshairs all the time," including Yassin.

In a first such strike, Israel tried this week to kill Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas co-founder and spokesman. Rantisi escaped a missile strike with minor injuries, but in response, a Hamas bomber blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus a day later, killing 17 people.

Israel has targeted members of the Hamas military wing in six rocket attacks this week, the latest on Friday. Helicopter gunships on Friday fired three missiles at a car carrying Hamas operatives who, according to the military, had launched homemade rockets at Israel earlier in the day.

The missiles hit the car as it was driving in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, killing a Hamas militant identified as Fuad Ledawi. At the time, the street was crowded with worshippers walking to a nearby mosque for evening prayers. Three of the 32 wounded were in critical condition.
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