Church of Nativity Damaged and a Monastery Is Scorched
A priest inside the church, quoted by Reuters, said: "The Israeli soldiers carried out an armed attack on the Nativity Church. They set fire to the parish building in front of the basilica."

In his speech to the Israeli Parliament this morning, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed no signs of backing down in the confrontation. He called on the Palestinian gunmen to surrender and release priests that Israeli officials describe as hostages.

"Until then, the army will remain in its positions and prevent them from evading justice," Mr. Sharon said, but he promised that Israeli forces would not "defile" the church, apparently a reference to an attack.

Church officials have said the priests are not hostages and have chosen to remain in the sanctuary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/09/international/middleeast/09BETH.html