Casualties of Israelis and Palestinians in Tulkarm - 2002-05-25

Israel reports that during its forces' attack on the town of Tulkarm in the West Bank, one Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded. Palestinian gunmen ambushed the Israeli soldiers, who were allegedly sent for anti-terror operations, near the Palestinian refugee camp in Tulkarm. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility for this ambush, stating that they were behind two suicide bombings in the suburbs of Tel Aviv in the past week, which resulted in the deaths of two Israelis and injuries to over thirty others. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade mentioned that one of the attackers was a 16-year-old boy, making him the youngest Palestinian suicide bomber to attack Israelis to date. Israeli forces have begun house-to-house searches in the Palestinian town of Tulkarm, having entered the town on Friday. The Israeli army claims to have found explosives during one of the searches and arrested four individuals in this regard. On Friday, during the Israeli forces' assault on Tulkarm, one Israeli soldier was killed in a battle with Palestinian gunmen. Palestinian witnesses report that at least eight Palestinian civilians were injured due to the fire from Israeli forces. Following several suicide bombings in Israel last week, Israeli soldiers have returned to Tulkarm. Since the beginning of the Intifada 20 months ago, militant groups from Tulkarm have carried out attacks against Israel.