May 1, 2002
A fire has broken out at the besieged Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem during an eruption of gunfire.
Witnesses say Israeli soldiers were firing flares and throwing smoke bombs which lit up the sky.
Right: Flames can be seen coming out of three rooms at the compound, while exchanges of gunfire can be heard outside. The moon is seen at the top left. (Radu Sigheti/Reuters)
Israeli forces have been surrounding the church since April 2, when more than 200 Palestinians, including gunmen, took refuge inside as Israeli troops invaded.
There is no immediate word of casualties. About 30 people have left the church in the last several days, according to agreements between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
But there is still a standoff over the fate of the gunmen. Israel insists they must either surrender or accept exile, while the Palestinians are prepared only to take them to the Gaza Strip.
Israel began withdrawing its forces from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office building in the West Bank town of Ramallah, after a US-brokered deal. It allowed six Palestinians wanted by Israel to be taken from the building to a Palestinian prison in Jericho.
There was no immediate word of casualties. About 30 people have left the church in the last several days, according to agreements between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
But there is still a standoff on the main issue, the fate of the gunmen. Israel insists they must either surrender or accept exile, while the Palestinians are prepared only to take them to the Gaza Strip.
The church remains the last point of contention from Israel's large-scale incursion into the West Bank that began on March 29, after a series of deadly Palestinian suicide bomb attacks.