OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Independent: 'Targeted Killings' Strengthen
Hamas As Innocents Die

Sana Al-Daour, 10, was sitting in the back seat with her father, mother and sister on the way to buy books for the new school year when the missile hit their Mercedes taxi.

Sana is far from being the only child killed since the ceasefire called on 29 June began to unravel three weeks ago. At least 22 of those hurt in the Hamas bombing on 19 August in Jerusalem, which triggered the policy of "targeted killings", were children.

After similar "targeted killings" of militants by Israel began in November 2000, there were no deaths in Israel during December, fuelling hopes that the militants had been discouraged. But the killings of Israelis escalated rapidly from February 2001. Amira Hass, commentator on Palestinian affairs for Ha'aretz newspaper, cited figures yesterday suggesting that 80 per cent of the Palestinians killed from the start of the intifada to the beginning of this August had not been connected to any armed factions. The Israeli policy has so far resulted in the deaths of 10 militants in six air strikes. But injuries and deaths among civilians appear to have hardened public opinion.