It has been reported that at least 22 Palestinians have been injured in attacks by Israeli helicopter gunships in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli action came hours after a Palestinian mortar bomb attack wounded an Israeli baby in a nearby Jewish settlement. The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel had "no other choice" than to strike because the Palestinian Authority was failing to prevent anti-Israeli attacks.
One of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s closest aides called for international protection, saying that the attacks showed that “nothing is out of bounds” for Israel. Presidential secretary Tayeb Abdel Rahim said, “We ask Arab and international forces to support the right of the Palestinian people to international protection in the face of this continuing aggression.” The Israeli attack followed a Palestinian mortar bomb attack on a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip which left a baby critically wounded and lightly injured a woman.
