Posted on 06/09/2006 10:15:27 AM PDT by MadIvan
Palestinian extremists threatened to send suicide bombers to "every corner" of Israel today after the killing of a Hamas security chief who was also one of the most feared militants in the territory.
Jamal Abu Samhadana, a 43-year-old explosives expert suspected of attacking a convoy of US diplomats in the Gaza Strip in 2003, was recently named "Director General" of Hamas's security forces. He was killed in an Israeli air strike late last night.
He was the first senior member of the three-month old Hamas-led government to be killed by Israel and the most prominent Palestinian militant to be targeted since the death of the Hamas commander, Salah Shehadeh, who was killed, along with 14 civilians, by a one-tonne bomb in 2002.
Samhadana died with at least three other militants as he entered a training camp for the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a shadowy armed faction set up during the last Intifada that is believed to overlap with Hamas and to have launched numerous rocket and suicide attacks against Israel.
Although well known in Gaza and the West Bank as a leading militant for some years, Samhadana shot to larger prominence six weeks ago when he was named to the upper echelons of Hamas's security apparatus. His promotion coincided with the creation of a brand new 3,000-strong black-shirted police force, set up by Hamas to counter Fatah-led militias and policemen still loyal to the former governing party.
His provocative appointment was then vetoed by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. In the process, Samhadana became a symbol of Hamas's determination to include known militants in its government, its continued defiance of Israel, and its deteriorating relationship with Fatah. At least 10 people have been killed in spiralling tit-for-tat violence between Fatah and Hamas in recent weeks.
In an interview with the Associated Press just ten days ago, Samhadana made his views plain, accusing Israel of trying to foment a civil war in the Palestinian Territories and telling an American journalist: "We are happy when any American soldier is killed anywhere in the world, because the American Army is an aggressor against all the people in the world, particularly the Arab and Muslim worlds."
As news of Samhadana's death spread last night, PRC gunmen took to the streets, demanding revenge. "God willing, our retaliation shall come," blared a loudspeaker on a car belonging to Abu Sharif, a PRC leader. "It will not be by statements, but by rockets toward Sderot and all the Zionist community. It will be by self-sacrificing martyrs who will blow up themselves in every corner."
Shortly afterwards, at least two rockets were fired towards Sderot, a town in southern Israel. One damaged a building but no one was hurt.
This morning, as Said Siyam, the Hamas Interior Minister, prepared to address tens of thousands of mourners at Samhadana's funeral, a Hamas MP said: "All options are open for the resistance groups to deliver a message to the enemy that must equal the magnitude of Abu Samhadana’s loss."
So many Palestinians joined the funeral procession in Rafah this afternoon that no mosque was large enough to accommodate them, and a football stadium was swiftly converted to hear open-air prayers. Masked gunmen fired automatic weapons into the air, chanting: "God is great," and "Revenge, revenge."
Stephen Farrell, Middle East correspondent for The Times, said that Samhadana's assassination, coming just hours before Mr Abbas is expected to challenge Hamas again by naming July 31 as the date for a referendum on whether the territory should recognise Israel, was likely to enrage the new hardline government.
"I think these are two things that will make Hamas very angry - the external threat of Israel and the internal pressure of Fatah and Abbas - and they are likely to mobilise on both fronts."
They are cowards and weaklings, who only pick on those who can't fight back, like 6 year olds. Yet they think they're martyrs, and they think God is going to reward them for killing children.
Peace is not possible with these people. They need to be destroyed.
Regards, Ivan
I thought the IRA got out of the terror business after 9/11 because they didn't want their funding from Boston, New York and Chicago to dry up.
Even if that were true - I still want them killed or captured.
The ceasefire is only a tactical retreat - Sinn Fein want electoral success, both north and south - they want to overthrow Irish democracy, the same way the Nazis overthrew the Weimer Republic.
Bad week for terrorists!
GRIN.....[Shooting my AK-47 in the air and whooping like a palestenian idiot with no teeth]
aren't thet about out of top commanders yet?
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They all gathered in a football field, all together, all at the same time. Perfect opporunity for Israel but I guess they too must remain pc.
Pick em out one by one like cockroaches, the moment the crawl out of their hole.
Not a good week for the terrorists. May there be many more like it!
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