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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 24, 2002

US Condemns Israeli Attack in Gaza

US President George W. Bush on Tuesday denounced an air strike by Israel on an apartment buildingin the Gaza Strip which killed 15 Palestinians, including nine children, the White House said.


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US President George W. Bush on Tuesday denounced an air strike by Israel on an apartment buildingin the Gaza Strip which killed 15 Palestinians, including nine children, the White House said.

"This heavy-handed action does not contribute to peace," spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

He said the US will convey the message to Israeli authorities and regrets the loss of innocent life.

The spokesman rejected comparisons between the Israeli missile strike and American attacks in Afghanistan which have so far claimed civilian lives estimated at nearly 500 by the Afghan government.

"It is inaccurate to compare the two, because the United States,because of an errant bomb, a mistake in a mission, has occasionally engaged in military action that we very regrettably included losses of innocent lives," Fleischer said.

"This (the Israeli missile strike) was a deliberate attack on the site, knowing that innocents would be lost in the consequencesof the attack," he noted.

Despite the condemnation of the strike, Fleischer said Bush remains a strong supporter of Israel.

The Israeli strike came when the Palestinians, including militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are actively negotiating within themselves a cease-fire with Israel to pave theway for reviving the peace process.

Just a few hours before the attack in Gaza, Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin had told satellite TV network al-Jazeera that Hamas was prepared to halt suicide bombings against Israel if Israeli troops withdraw from the West Bank and stop crackdown on the Palestinians.


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