Israeli troops retook control of the area only hours after 12 Israelis were killed near what is believed to be the burial site of the Biblical Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Witnesses saw soldiers blindfolding Palestinians suspected of involvement in an ambush at a procession of Jewish worshippers near what is also known as The Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Nine of the dead were soldiers and members of the paramilitary border police including Col. Dror Weinberg, commander for the Hebron area, military sources and media said. The other three dead were identified as civilian security forces of a nearby Jewish settlement.
The latest Israeli military operation came as the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the attack in Hebron as "a Sabbath Massacre" and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government warned that it would hit back hard following attacks.
CELEBRATIONS
Islamic Jihad said the shooting was in revenge for the recent killing of its northern West Bank commander, Iyad Sawalha, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Israel has defended the attack saying that Sawalha orchestrated two deadly bus attacks, including an Oct. 21 bombing that killed 14 people in northern Israel.
As news of the Hebron shooting reached Palestinian areas, dozens of Islamic Jihad supporters in the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip rushed into the streets Friday night to celebrate, with some firing in the air, an AP reporter observed.
SUFFERING
The Hebron incident has lead to new calls to improve Israel’s military, which has been suffering under a low moral, defections and strategy problems. Bystander Arik Mariner complained that it was difficult to help the estimated 15 wounded survivors as Israeli "soldiers were pinned down by massive amounts of gunfire from all directions."
"The wounded were screaming, `save us’ and I saw things I don’t want to shock people soldiers without hands, without legs, things that break the heart," he told Israel’s Channel Two television. Officials of the Palestinian Authority were quick to say that the only way to prevent new attacks is by new peace talks and an end to what they regard as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
CONDEMNATION
However in a statement the United States State Department made clear there was no defence for the Hebron massacre.
"We condemn in the strongest terms this reprehensible and heinous act of terrorism. We extend our deepest condolences to the innocent victims of violence and urge both sides to do all they can to end this ongoing tragedy, " said State Department spokesman Frederick Jones.
There is also concern among US officials that the latest violence will fuel sentiments among hardliners within Sharon’s government to send the frail Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat into exile, which they say could lead to even more bloodshed.
Meanwhile Israeli troops were on standby to prevent possible revenge attacks from the mainly armed Jewish settlers living nearby after the Sabbath. Palestinians still recall the massacre in February 1994 when Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 Muslim worshippers at the Tomb, before being beaten to death.
