Saturday's carnage was the latest bloodshed in one of the most violent stretches of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has become a virtual war of attrition.

International uneasiness with the latest bloodshed was apparent as well.

In the latest bloodshed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 13 Palestinians and the Israeli soldier have been killed since Thursday.

In the last two months, moreover, Administration policies toward Yugoslavia have come under increasing criticism for failing to halt the latest bloodshed in Bosnia.

But in Madrid, Mrs. Ashrawi rejected any responsibility for the latest bloodshed, saying that at no time time did she urge violence.

"Everyone in the city was expecting something like this to happen," Qassim Shabbar, a Najaf merchant, said of Mr. Sadr's possible role in the latest bloodshed.

But Dr. Shaath played down the latest bloodshed.

The latest bloodshed occurred in a series of small-scale ambushes and shootings.

In the latest bloodshed today, near the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli security forces shot dead three Palestinians.

The latest bloodshed came days after the Bush administration expressed deep concern over a significant rise in Palestinian civilian casualties during Israeli military operations.