Israeli authorities survey the scene where a pregnant woman and her four daughters came under attack by Palestinian militants.


The woman was apparently on her way into Israel to help campaign against the plan, which calls for dismantling the Jewish settlements of Gaza as well as several in the West Bank.It was unclear how the shooting would affect the vote, which appeared to be close. A loss for Sharon would likely produce a major political crisis, including a possible Cabinet reshuffle, a split in Likud or even early elections. Sharon aides said he would likely push through with the plan regardless.In claiming responsibility, Palestinian militants linked the attack to Israel's recent killings of their leaders. It also appeared timed to frustrate Sharon."The terrible murder today is their way of rejecting and complicating the plan," Sharon told reporters.

Although Sharon proposes an unprecedented removal of Jewish settlements from land claimed by the Palestinians, the unilateral plan has been greeted with suspicion by Palestinian officials who chafe at being sidelined and see it as a means of cementing Israel's hold on the larger and more historically significant West Bank.

The attack - in which the two gunmen were also killed - took place just inside the Gaza Strip, near the Kissufim Crossing used by settlers, around 1 p.m.Israeli police said the white Citroen station wagon spun off the road after being hit by gunfire. The attackers then approached the vehicle and shot its occupants at close range.

Those killed were Tali Khotel, 34 - who was eight months pregnant - and her four daughters, ages two to 11, settlers said.Soldiers raced to the scene and killed the attackers in a gunbattle. Two soldiers were wounded in the fight, the army said.The station wagon was riddled with bullets, its windows were blown away, and the carpet was splattered with blood. A bumper sticker read: "Uprooting the settlements - a victory for terror."Settlers said the family had lived in Katif - one of 21 communities housing some 7,500 Jews living amid the 1.3 million Palestinians in the narrow, 25-mile long seaside strip.More than 220,000 settlers also live in about 150 settlements in the West Bank alongside almost 3 million Palestinians. The Palestinians consider all Jewish settlements in the two territories Israel occupied in the 1967 war to be illegal.

Israel Radio said a car belonging to CNN had prevented further bloodshed by blocking the road after the shooting began. There was no immediate comment from the U.S.-based cable network.The militant Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group, claimed responsibility in a call to The Associated Press.

The resistance committees said the "heroic" attack was retaliation for Israel's recent assassinations of Hamas founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi.Israeli army tanks moved into the area later Sunday, and army bulldozers destroyed a number of buildings near the road. It was not clear whether the buildings had been occupied.Sunday's attack - which pushed the death toll in 42 months of fighting to 2,829 on the Palestinian side and 950 on the Israeli side - cut straight to the heart of the debate over the referendum.Cabinet minister Gideon Ezra said it underscored the hopeless burden of staying in Gaza. "Our soldiers can't be in every car that moves in the Gaza Strip," he said.

"Thousands of soldiers are required to protect" the settlers, he said. "I would put our soldiers in other places."Sharon has said his plan would boost Israel's security in the absence of a peace agreement - which many Israelis consider unattainable after year's of failed talks and more than three years of bitter violence.Supporters also say a pullout is needed to maintain Israel's Jewish majority - since Arabs will soon outnumber Jews in the combined area of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.Opponents have accused Sharon of caving in to Palestinian militants, arguing that a pullout without any Palestinian commitments to peace would encourage more terror attacks.

"It's the other side trying to show that we are leaving because we are weak," said Ezra Haidu, a 32-year-old neighbor of the victim's who described her as "quiet and shy ... a very serious person."Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz canceled scheduled appearances Sunday and was to meet with top security officials to plan a response to the attack, the deadliest on Gaza settlers in years, military sources said.The attack also could raise the possibility of Israeli action against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat - whom officials were quick to blame for the carnage.

"A whole family is wiped out because Arafat does not care about the Palestinian people or the Israeli people," said Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin.Israel maintains that Arafat - despite his denials - encourages terrorism and is sabotaging any progress toward peace.There has been a spike in Gaza violence since Sharon announced his intentions to pull out several months ago, with each side trying to claim victory ahead of a withdrawal.Israel had gone on high security alert Sunday ahead of the referendum, dividing Gaza into three sections and restricting Palestinian travel.05/02/04 10:23 EDT