RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israeli gunships on Sunday destroyed Palestinian intelligence buildings in Beitunia near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian security services said.

Two helicopters took part in the raid, one of them firing two rockets on its target while the second was covering it, the sources said quoted by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The building had been evacuated minutes earlier, the sources said, adding that the Palestinian security services constantly scrutinize the sky for fear of strikes.

The latest raid came just hours after Israeli helicopters and gunboats totally destroyed the headquarters of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Gaza.

Israeli helicopters completely destroyed Arafat's compound in Gaza City earlier Sunday, a Palestinian security source said.

Although Arafat has been confined to his offices in Ramallah, the West Bank, since December 3, a close aide said the attack on the Gaza office was "proof of the bankruptcy of (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon's policy".

"The attack against the offices of Mr. Arafat is proof of Sharon's hatred of Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority," added the senior official, who requested not to be named. A security source said Arafat's compound went up in flames during the sustained missile and rocket attack that continued even after the compound was destroyed.

"Violence breeds violence and crimes breed more crimes. This translates into the bankruptcy of Sharon's policy," said the official.

"Peace cannot be reached in this manner," the source said, accusing the Israeli Prime Minister of "seeking to torpedo the next mission of American envoy Anthony Zinni" by ordering the attack.

In the past, Arafat had used the Gaza compound to play host to a string of world leaders, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac.

In its continuous aggression, Israeli occupation forces killed four Palestinians late Sunday in three separate incidents in the West Bank, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

Two died when their car exploded in the Palestinian village of Jabal Muakkabir at the entrance of east Jerusalem, Israeli police sources said.

A 16-year-old was shot dead as he was throwing stones at Israeli occupation troops near Nablus, hospital officials said.

Mahmud Ganem, 16, was with a group of Palestinians hurling stones at troops in the village of Surra, west of Nablus, the sources added, without saying if anyone else had been hurt.

Another Palestinian was killed when Israeli occupation soldiers opened fire on him at a West Bank roadblock near the northern entrance to Jerusalem, Israeli public television reported.

Police sources had earlier reported that a Palestinian had been "very seriously injured" by Israeli fire.

In the other incident, Israeli public radio claimed the two men might have been killed by the “accidental” explosion of a device to be used in an “anti-Israeli attack.”

However, a Palestinian witness from the nearby West Bank area of Bethlehem told AFP that he saw an Israeli helicopter fire on the vehicle.

Earlier Sunday a Palestinian was killed by an armed settler in the Gaza Strip after wounding two Israelis, Israeli public television reported.

Sunday's deaths brought the overall toll in Al-Aqsa intifada, or Palestinian uprising which broke out more than 17 months ago, to 1,468, including 1,112 Palestinians – the majority is teenagers and children – and 332 Israelis.

The Israeli security cabinet met to discuss its options for further military action against the Palestinians after a Palestinian martyr operation killed 11 and injured more than 50 at a busy cafe in the occupied West Jerusalem on Saturday.

As attack and counter-attack continue, the United States, the European Union and Arab leaders are all working on proposals to calm the situation, BBC’s online  service reported.

The U.S. Government has called on both sides to try to end the violence, which a spokesman said underlines the importance of this week's visit to the region by special envoy Anthony Zinni.