GAZA CITY Ñ Israel has assassinated the military commander of the
Islamic opposition Hamas movment in an air force attack in which at least
another 14 people were killed.
Several members of the Israeli cabinet opposed the strike. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hailed it as one of the most important achievements of the nearly two-year-old war with the Palestinians, Middle East Newsline reported.
"I repeat what I
have said in the past, that it will not be possible to reach any compromise
with terror; terror must be fought," Sharon said.
Israeli F-16 multi-role fighters fired missiles toward the home of Hamas
commander Salah Shehada in the Palestinian refugee camp of Bureij in the
Gaza Strip. Israeli military sources said Shehada, 40, was killed in the
operation on early Tuesday.
Hours later, Palestinian sources confirmed that Shehada was killed. They
said one of the missiles struck an adjacent home and that many more, including children, were killed and 100 were injured.
Hamas sources confirmed that Shehada was killed. He was termed as the
highest-ranking Hamas member assassinated by Israel.
Shehada was a founder of the Hamas in 1987 and regarded as the
movement's military leader as well as heir-apparent to spiritual guide Ahmed
Yassin. He had escaped several Israeli assassination attempts.
Israeli sources said Shehada was responsible for the killing of hundreds
of Israelis as well as the weapons production facilities of Hamas. Shehada
was said to have ordered Hamas's development and production of the
Kassam-class short-range missile and the Al Bana anti-tank rocket.
Israeli officials said the attack on Shehada was the result of a Cabinet
meeting headed by Prime Minister Sharon. The officials said several
ministers expressed reservations over plans to kill Shehada. After the
assassination, Deputy Defense Minister Dalia Rabin-Pelosof submitted her
resignation.
For his part, Sharon termed the assassination of Shehada as one of the
most important Israeli achievements in the nearly two-year-old war against
the Palestinians. Sharon said Shehada organized insurgency cells in the West
Bank as well as directing operations in the Gaza Strip.
"This action, to my knowledge, is one of our major successes and it
necessitates all of us being on top alert," Sharon said.
Palestinian sources said the assassination came amid a secret Israeli
effort to stop Hamas attacks. On Tuesday, the London-based Al Hayat daily
said Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was involved in talks to achieve a
ceasefire with Hamas.
The attack on Shehada prompted a Hamas counteroffensive throughout the
Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Islamic insurgents fired mortars toward Israeli
communities and attacked a border terminal. Two Palestinian attackers were
said to have been killed.
