Six Palestinians Reportedly Killed in Explosion

Six Palestinians Reportedly Killed in Explosion

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Six Palestinian activists were killed in an explosion early Monday in a shack near a Palestinian refugee camp, witnesses and security officials said. The blast tore apart the tin shack. Palestinian police at a checkpoint about 200 yards away said they heard a loud blast. Palestinian security officials, requesting anonymity, said the cause of the explosion was unclear.

The explosion took place near the Al-Fara refugee camp north of Nablus. An eyewitness said there were no Israeli helicopters in the area, and the blast blew the roof off the shack, indicating that the explosion came from inside the structure.

The Israeli military was checking the report.

Palestinian security officials said all six dead Palestinians were activists in Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, and that three served in a Palestinian military intelligence unit. All were on Israel's wanted list for planning attacks inside Israel, they said.

In recent weeks Israel has carried out targeted killings of Palestinian militants suspected of planning or carrying out attacks in Israel. In other cases, militants have been killed in explosions, apparently while preparing bombs for attacks, incidents the Israelis call "work accidents."

Palestinian officials did not immediately blame Israel for the blast.

One other man was wounded, the officials said.