Americans killed in Gaza blast
2003-10-15 12:06
Jerusalem - At least three people were killed on Wednesday when a roadside bomb ripped into a convoy of US diplomatic vehicles travelling in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security officials said.
One more US national was injured in the blast.
The explosion went off shortly after 10:00 (08:00 GMT) as the convoy was travelling in the Beit Hanun area near the Erez border crossing which leads to Israel.
At least one of the victims was "blown to pieces," the officials added.
All the victims were American citizens, a US embassy source told reporters.
"We are always on a very high security alert posture here," the source added. "We are always sort of very sensitive and aware of security issues."
US Middle Eastern envoy John Wolf was apparently not travelling in the convoy, according to diplomatic sources.
The blast is the first attack of its kind in the Palestinian territories against a US target.
It came just hours after the United States vetoed a resolution at the UN Security Council which condemned Israel's construction of a separation barrier across the West Bank.
- AFP