Posted on 02/17/2003 10:02:09 AM PST by NormsRevenge
The head of the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip was shot Monday morning by IDF troops and died of his wounds a short while later in Be'er Sheva's Soroka Medical Center. The man, Riyad Abu-Zed was considered to be the replacement for Hamas leader Salah Shehadeh, killed by the IDF last July.
Palestinian sources said IDF troops ambushed Abu-Zed's car near the al Bureij refugee camp, and fired at it. Abu-Zed, who was seriously injured, died of his wounds a short while later in hospital.
The IDF said that the troops intended to arrest Abu-Zed, and not to assassinate him.
Also Monday, Palestinian security forces reported to the IDF that they found five missile launcher near the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim, Israel Radio reported.
The launchers were unarmed, but were connected with electric cables. The IDF authorized the Palestinians to send special forces to the area to dismantle the launcher, the radio said.
In the West Bank, troops arrested Monday 26 Palestinian suspects and Palestinians wanted for investigation.
Tanks thrust into Gaza, destroy Hamas militant's house; two killed
IDF tanks entered Gaza City early Monday and blew up the house of a leading militant next to a neighborhood where leaders of the violent Islamic Hamas live, witnesses said.
Israel Radio reported that the troops came under fire while demolishing the house, and returned fire. Palestinian hospital officials said that two people were killed, and four civilians, including a doctor, were wounded by the shooting.
Early Monday, witnesses said about 35 tanks, accompanied by attack helicopters, moved into position around a five-story building in Gaza City where Ahmed Ghandour and his family live and blew it up. Palestinians said Ghandour is the top aide to Hamas bombmaker Adnan al-Roul, believed responsible for planning the attack on the tank and the killing of three IDF soldiers near the settlement of Dugit last June.
Two Palestinians were lightly wounded by Israeli gunfire, hospital officials said.
IDF sources, speaking on condition on anonymity, said that an operation was underway in Gaza City, but it was not a large-scale invasion.
Witnesses said that after surrounding the building, soldiers ordered everyone out and took the men away. Then soldiers sent dogs inside to see if anyone was left behind.
Before blowing up the building, they told residents of nearby houses to evacuate them and leave the windows open, a measure that helps absorb the shock of the explosion.
Israel has been blowing up the houses of suspected militants for several months as a deterrent measure. Palestinians and human rights groups charge that innocent relatives are made to suffer, but the Israelis believe that might give militants second thoughts about carrying out attacks.
Hamas has led a campaign of suicide bombings inside Israel during the uprising, but has also attacked heavily-guarded settlements in Gaza.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the army would deal a heavy blow to Hamas after the group claimed responsibility for a landmine which killed the four-member crew of an IDF tank in northern Gaza on Saturday.
Hours later, six Hamas militants were killed in an explosion near Gaza City while inspecting a small remote-control glider which the group said it obtained for use in new "operations".
Hamas officials said they believed Israel had booby-trapped the device and vowed to avenge the deaths.
"We will retaliate for their new crime, for their new terror action... It will be a very expensive price," Hamas official Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi told reporters.
According to Palestinian sources, the six killed were: Iyal Shaldan, the son of the man who owned the house were the incident occurred, who is associated with the Hamas leadership; Nidal Farkhat, whose brother Muhammed, carried out the terror attack at the Atzmona settlement about one year ago, in which five students were killed; Akram Nasser, one of the leader's of the Hamas military wing and one of those in charge of attaining weapons; Ayman Muhana,a resident of Sheikh Radwan, and Muhammad Silmi and Mufid Albul, both residents of the al-Zeitun neighborhood.
In the past, there have been a number of incidents in which Palestinian militants preparing bombs caused them to blow up prematurely.
Is this not the same as having Saddam dismantle found chemical weapons? After all, they are so honest, I am certain they will comply.
And they write ...The IDF said that the troops intended to arrest Abu-Zed, and not to assassinate him.
They further write ... Palestinian sources said IDF troops ambushed Abu-Zed's car
What's more likely is that this guy was shot for speeding.
I bet he is not shouting, "Send me in coach!!"
"Time to pick out my jammies for my dirt nap!"
If the Palestinians don't want Israel to be so rough with them, they need to start sending the right signals. (i.e.: when Israelis ease things up, attempts at terror attacks should decrease instead of the other way around!) If absorbing terror attacks would bring the region closer to peace, Israel wouldn't fight back; The Israelis already tried this, for a bloody decade. No one can in good faith doubt the Israelis' commitment to peace.
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