|
Hamas ends cease-fire after senior leader killed
Hamas ends cease-fire after senior leader killed
GAZA CITY, Gaza (CNN) --Hamas Thursday declared an end to its cease-fire with Israel shortly after one of its leaders and two others were killed in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City.
The Palestinian Authority said its planned crackdown on militants was now on hold.
The Islamic militant group confirmed the deaths of Ismail Abu Shanab, 53, and two of his bodyguards.
The missile strike comes two days after a deadly blast in Jerusalem killed more than 20 people, including several young children, and wounded more than 130. Claims of responsibility came from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which are on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's security cabinet met Thursday night and authorized the military to use any means necessary to fight Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but not the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian Minister for Security Affairs Mohammed Dahlan and his security officials were meeting in Gaza with Israeli security officials at the time of the strike, to discuss an operational plan for starting a campaign against Hamas, Dahlan's spokesman Elias Zananiri said.
"Now everything is put on hold," Zananiri said.
On June 29, Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared a cease-fire for three months and Fatah for six months. Israel's stance is that no cease-fire agreement exists between it and Palestinian militants.
Witnesses in Gaza City spotted Israeli F-16 jets and Apache attack helicopters overhead, shortly before they fired at least three missiles at the vehicle.
The three badly burned bodies were removed from the smoldering car by Palestinian bystanders.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the missile strike in a statement from Information Minister Nabil Amr, who called the attack "irresponsible" and said Palestinian leaders would re-evaluate "the necessary steps taken to protect the Palestinian people."
Video of the scene showed crowds of people shouting and rushing toward the burning vehicle, as rescue workers hosed down the fire.
After the fire was extinguished, bystanders pounded the vehicle to help extract the bodies.
Israel issued a warning to the Palestinian Authority that the peace process cannot continue unless "substantial and meaningful" are steps taken against militants staging terror attacks.
The announcement came on the heels of a string of operations launched by the Israeli military overnight, targeting Palestinian militants across the West Bank.
Amr condemned the Israel's action as a step in the wrong direction.
"Going forward in this form of action and retaliation is going to complicate the situation and obstruct the Palestinian Authority's steps to crack down [on militants] and maintain quiet," he said.
"Now the Palestinian Authority has to re-evaluate the decisions from last night and the necessary steps taken to protect the Palestinian people."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/08/21/mideast/index.html
|