GAZA, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 26 Palestinians were killed
and 80 others injured within less than 24 hours during Israel's
intense air, ground and sea military operations in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said Thursday.
   Fifteen Palestinians were killed on Wednesday and 11 more died
on Thursday in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, said the sources,
adding that most of them were killed during ground and sea raids.
   After Palestinian militants carried out a series of armed
attacks against Israel earlier this week, during which at least 26
Israelis were killed, the Israeli government decided to intensify
its offensive on the Palestinian territories.
   Israel's F-16 warplanes, Apache helicopters, tanks and naval
boats launched attacks on Gaza and the West Bank over the last four
days, killing dozens of Palestinians and causing massive damages to
Palestinian security installations.
   Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told reporters after meeting 
earlier Thursday with European Union Mideast envoy Miguel Moratinos
that the Israeli offensive "would never terrify the Palestinian
people."
   "Our people are as strong as mountains and nothing could shake
them," said Arafat, adding that "Israel is mistaken if it believes
that it can frighten the Palestinians with F-16s, tanks, rockets
and Apache helicopters."
   Two missiles fired by Israeli helicopter gunships attacked a
Palestinian security building adjacent to Arafat's Ramallah office
where he was meeting with Moratinos Wednesday night.  Enditem