Palestinian officials say Israeli warships have hit Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office in the Gaza Strip with missiles and heavy machine-gun fire.

They say four members of Mr. Arafat's elite guard, Force-17, were killed and five wounded. An Iraeli F-16 fighter also launched missiles at the Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City.

Mr. Arafat was not in the Gaza City headquarters. He has been blockaded in his West Bank home in Ramallah since December by Israeli forces.

The early Wednesday naval and air strike comes after a late Tuesday Palestinian ambush left at least six Israelis dead at a military checkpoint in the West Bank.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, reportedly claimed responsibility for that attack in an area of the West Bank still occupied by Israel.

Earlier Tuesday, a Palestinian suicide bomber tried to force himself onto an Israeli bus in the West Bank that was packed with at least 50 passengers. He was pushed back by the driver and the bomb exploded, killing only the attacker.

Israel also launched more air strikes to retaliate for earlier Palestinian attacks in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Sixteen Palestinians and at least 10 Israelis have died in this latest surge of violence since Monday.

(AFP, AP, Reuters, prev)

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