The floor of the mosque was full of bodies and blood Mohammad Suleiman Abu Saleh

Mosque guard Mohammad Suleiman Abu Saleh said he thought that Goldstein was trying to kill as many people as possible and described how there were bodies and blood everywhere.

There were unconfirmed reports that Goldstein had an accomplice inside the mosque.

The injured were taken to the Aghli Hospital in western Hebron, where thousands gathered for news of relatives and friends who were in the mosque at the time of the attack.

The army is reported to have killed 12 Palestinians as rioting erupted outside the hospital as feelings ran high in the aftermath of the shootings.

Dr Daoud Obeidi, director of the Aghli Hospital, said from the shrapnel wounds suffered by some of the worshippers, it appeared hand grenades were used in the attack.

Three hours after the attack, which happened at around dawn, hospital officials could still not say exactly how many were killed and injured.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation has demanded that Israel disarm all 120,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied territories and that the United Nations act to protect Palestinians.

	E-mail this story to a friend