GAZA CITY — Israel has assassinated a leading Fatah commander responsible for missile attacks on the Jewish state.

An Israel Air Force helicopter fired a missile that struck a Palestinian Authority security vehicle in the Jabalya refugee camp north of Gaza City. The strike on Tuesday killed a Fatah commander and a leading Hamas operative.

The Fatah commander was identified as Hassan Madhoun, head of operations in the northern Gaza Strip. Madhoun was said to have ordered numerous rocket and missile attacks on Israel as well as a suicide bombing of the Ashdod port in 2004.

The Hamas operative was Fawzi Abu Al Qara. Al Qara was said to have served as a liasion with Fatah and Islamic Jihad in Kassam-class short-range missile attacks from the northern Gaza Strip.

"Madhoun and Al Qara were working together on several operations as part of cooperation between Fatah and Hamas," an Israeli security source said.

Palestinian insurgency groups have pledged to retaliate with missile and suicide strikes. Overnight Wednesday, Palestinian gunners resumed Kassam missile and mortars into Israel. The Israeli military responded with artillery fire.

"This is an open war," Hamas spokesman Mushir Al Masri said. "They are going to pay a heavy price for their crimes."

Palestinian sources said Madhoun appeared to have joined the PA security forces. They said the PA, financed by the United States, has recruited hundreds of Fatah insurgents from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to the security forces.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops maintained operations against suspected insurgency strongholds. Palestinian sources said that on Tuesday special forces units raided two suspected safe houses in the northern West Bank town of Jenin. Later, an Israeli soldier was killed in an ambush near Jenin.