GAZA CITY Ñ Hamas stated that Israel had failed in an attempt to destroy
The Islamic militant group's military wing.
A Hamas statement said an Israeli warplane tried to destroy a
building in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis in belief that five military leaders
were inside. An Israeli F-16 jet fired two missiles toward the three-story
building,
but the Hamas members survived, Middle East Newsline reported.
A Hamas statement said the target was a key member of the Izzedin Kassam
military wing, Yusef Abdul Wahab. The organization said five Qassam members
were in the building.
"The five members survived the assassination attempt," the Hamas
communique read.
Hamas warned that it will avenge the Israeli attack. On late Sunday, an
Israeli military patrol fired toward an unidentified individual near the
Gaza border crossing of Kissufim. On Monday, two anti-tank missile launchers
developed by Hamas were found at the scene of the shooting.
Israeli military sources said the building managed by Abdul Wahab was
used as a bomb factory. Khan Yunis has served as a launching pad for
numerous mortar attacks on the nearby Israeli enclave of Gush Katif.
Last week, Israeli military sources said the new Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
Moshe Ya'alon intends to end the Palestinian insurgency war by the end of
the year. The sources said the plan calls for the toppling of the regime of
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and the elimination of Islamic
insurgency leaders.
Israeli troops captured 15 suspected Palestinian insurgents overnight
Tuesday in the northern West Bank amid an alert by Israeli authorities for a
new wave of suicide bombings. Officials said Hamas and Islamic Jihad are
trying to carry out a car bombing inside Israel or against a Jewish
community in the West Bank.
