Update on April 8th, 2002 from Bethlehem

Last night, the Israeli army cut off the electricity on the Nativity Church in preparation for an attack on the church and an attempt to reach the approximately 240 people who remain isolated and under siege within the building. The soliders fired machine guns and hand grenades which set fire to the library in the church. Special Israeli forces tried to infiltrate the building through the ceiling using ropes to enter from the roof. The soldiers covered their attempt to enter the building by exploding sound bombs and creating a distraction by heavy firing around the church and in the vicinity of the municipality building. Palestinian resistance fighters inside the church noticed them and fired back, injuring 2 Israeli soldiers who retreated immediately. One palestinian was killed in the attack.

The situation in the church is still critical since the Israeli occupation forces still forbid access to the church by ambulances or other medical or relief personnel who have attempted to evacuate the 10 injured people an provide food and medical supplies. 

The Israeli army is carrying out a wide operation of arresting people in the houses in Bethlehem area. This morning they released 325 persons from the Palestinian civilians who were captured in the past days. A lot of people are still held prisoners in Arafat's palace in Bethlehem, in the Palestino-Israeli Coordination office in Beit Jala and others are sent to 'Assion Prison in Hebron area.

The situation in the north: Jenin and Nablus is terrible. All night and day the Israeli army intensified its attacks against the refugee camps with shelling by Apache helicopters in the air and tanks on the ground, demolishing houses all around the camp of Jenin by bulldozers. Families have been buried under the destruction. More than 150 people are dead now in Jenin. The Israeli occupation forces have also attacked the hospital, hitting the intensive care unit for premature children as well as the electricity generator and oxygen pipes in the hospital. The Israeli occupation forces have cut the electricity to the city and have not permitted medications, water or food deliveries to the camps.