Posted on 06/16/2002 4:37:28 PM PDT by eclectic
Hamas is threatening to use chemical weapons in future attacks against Israeli targets, claiming "slaughter will bring slaughter," Channel 2 reported last night.
According to the report, Hamas issued a statement after conducting a strategic debate which generated the decision to use chemical weapons in addition to conventional bombs.
"When we reach that stage [using chemical weapons], the gates will be opened to develop suicide attacks with Allah's help," the report said, quoting from the statement issued by the movement yesterday.
The statement claimed that the aim is to further harm those hit by shrapnel in a bomb blast and "create a massacre."
The movement claimed that while the idea is not new, attempts to use chemicals in bombs have so far met with failure, as the chemicals used are usually inexpensive and crude agents that lose their effectiveness in the heat created by a bomb blast.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantissi denied the meetings took place and referred to the reports as "lies."
Hamas yesterday claimed responsibility for the attack near Dugit on Saturday night in which St.-Sgt. Yehezkel (Hezki) Gutman, 22, of Beit El, and Sgt. Alexei Gladkov, 20, of Beersheba, were killed and four others wounded.
The soldiers had succeeded in thwarting a terrorist attack near Dugit earlier in the day after blowing up a car rigged with 180 kilograms of explosives.
Hours later, after receiving reports of terrorists between Dugit and Elei Sinai, the soldiers returned to the area and were ambushed by one of four terrorists using the foliage for cover. Three other terrorists fled back to Palestinian Authority-controlled territory when the soldiers returned fire.
The dead terrorist was identified as Mahmoud el-Abed, 19, from Gaza City.
Security officials believe that there is a direct connection between the two incidents on Saturday, saying there has recently been a sharp increase in the number of attacks in the area.
Yesterday afternoon, IDF bulldozers began clearing the dense foliage in the area to allow soldiers a clearer view.
Yesterday morning, soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who carried a large bag and ignored their calls to stop, after he and two others attempted to bypass a roadblock at the Bekaot junction in the northern Jordan Valley. The IDF Spokesman said the soldiers set off in pursuit and managed to arrest two of the fleeing men. The third, who was carrying a large bag, continued to flee, and the soldiers in accordance with regulations opened fire.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, police revealed the recent arrests of five Hamas members from Askar and Rumana, near Jenin. The five, who belonged to the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, are suspected of planting bombs near IDF troops, arresting and torturing Palestinians suspected of collaborating, organizing demonstrations and confrontations with security forces, and planning shooting attacks. Additional arrests are expected, the police said.
Early yesterday morning, security forces arrested a fugitive wanted by the Shin Bet near the Kuchin junction, west of Nablus.
Shots were fired at an IDF post near Silwad, north of Ramallah. In the Gaza Strip, soldiers arrested a fugitive at the Gush Katif junction, and shots were fired at an IDF post near Kfar Darom.
Muhammad Najib and David Bender contributed to this report.
No haj for a 100 years!! The falafel salesmen in Mecca alone would put Hamas out of business with that threat. That ASSURANCE, along with the promise of us "taking care" of homicide-bomber families, would hopefully make them think twice. If not, nuke tell they glow, then shoot 'em in the dark.
Doesn't matter. They're both walls. Ipso facto, no difference whatsoever. </ sarcasm>
So, aren't they basically screwing themselves??? Idiots.
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