Israel blames Hamas, Arafat

Israel has branded today's killing of five Gaza Strip settlers a "massacre" and accused Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Islamist group Hamas of trying to scupper Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the territory.

A woman and her four children were shot dead by Palestinian attackers at a Gaza crossing point that leads to the Gush Katif settlement bloc, in one of the deadliest attacks in several months against Jewish settlers.

“This can simply be labelled a massacre of innocent children,” government spokesman Avi Pazner said.

Shortly after Pazner spoke, the shooting was claimed by two Palestinian groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees.

The attack came as members of Sharon’s Likud party were voting on the premier’s so-called “disengagement” plan which calls for the removal of all 21 settlements from the Gaza Strip.