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Attacks Claim 9 Israeli Lives VOA News 3 Mar 2002 08:34 UTC 
Israeli officials say Palestinian gunmen have killed at least eight Israelis in an attack on an army roadblock in the West Bank.
Six of the victims were soldiers. Several other Israelis were wounded when gunmen opened fire on civilian and military cars from a hillside near the Israeli settlement of Ofra.
In a separate incident, an Israeli soldier was killed and three others wounded, when they came under fire near Kissoufim on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip.
The shootings took place just hours after Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at Palestinian security offices in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Israel says the air raid was carried out in response to a suicide bombing Saturday in an ultra-Orthodox section of Jerusalem. The blast killed nine Israelis, including a young child, along with the bomber. Thirty-five Israelis were wounded.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah group, claimed responsibility. The bomber was from a refugee camp near Bethlehem.
Israel immediately blamed the incident on Mr. Arafat, saying he has failed to restrain militants. The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, but said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is responsible for the escalating violence in the region. Mr. Sharon meets with his cabinet today to discuss the latest developments.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials say the military now has pulled out of the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, one day after troops withdrew from the camp at Jenin. Israeli forces entered the West Bank refugee camps early Thursday. The Israeli army says the camps have been safe havens for terrorists attacking Israelis.
Officials say soldiers seized several home-made Qassam rockets that Palestinian militants were preparing to launch against Israel, along with other weapons.
Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopters entered the camps Thursday, setting off fighting that killed at least 21 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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