Edited for relevance
An Israeli missile attack on a car in Gaza has killed four members of the Islamic militant group Hamas, including one of the organisation's military leaders and founders. Hundreds of angry Hamas supporters
| Anybody ever heard of a placid Hamas supporter? Me neither... |
have gathered at the Gaza City hospital where Ibrahim al-Maqadma's body was taken. The helicopter attack came hours after two Israelis were shot dead by Palestinians who infiltrated the settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron in the West Bank. The military wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the settlement raid late on Friday. The two gunmen were shot dead by troops. Eight other people, including a number of soldiers, were also wounded in the attack.
| See? Cause... Effect. Simple, huh? If you send people to murder people, someone will try and kill you. Chances are they'll succeed. |
Witnesses said two Israeli helicopters fired on the militants' car, which was reduced to a charred wreckage. "One fired, then the other fired. They fired at least four missiles," Gaza resident Hana Abu Musa said. Several people were reported to have been injured in the attack, one of them in critical condition, Palestinian hospital officials said. After the Gaza missile attack, Israeli helicopters remained overhead, causing schoolchildren to leave their classes and rush home.
| Puppies, kittens, and baby ducks were all terrified. Anguish counselors have been called in. |
It was the latest of a number of Israeli strikes against Hamas in Gaza, where for the past three weeks the Israeli army has been conducting a major operation to crush the militants. Last week, Israeli forces captured a co-founder of the Hamas movement, Mohammed Taha, during a raid on Gaza, in which several civilians were killed. Confirming the death of one its military leaders on Saturday, Hamas vowed revenge.
| That's mostly what they do, isn't it? Dire Revenge®, I mean... |
"The assassination of Ibrahim al-Maqadma will launch a new stage of war against the Jews," senior Hamas official Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi told Reuters news agency. "All Israeli leaders will be open targets for Hamas," he said.
| Don't sign your own death warrant there, Abdel-Aziz. Why do you think you're not dead yet? |
In recent days, Qassam rockets have been launched from Gaza across the boundary into Israel. Three of the home-made rockets slammed into the town of Sderot on Thursday — there were no casualties. Early on Friday, Israeli troops reoccupied part of the northern Gaza Strip, in an operation to stop such attacks. An army spokesman said the operation — in which dozens of Palestinians are reported to have been wounded — was open-ended. Friday's attack on the Kiryat Arba settlement occurred after the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen slipped into the settlement disguised as Jewish seminary students. After the gunmen entered a family home and opened fire, troops rushed to the scene and exchanged fire before the two Palestinians were killed. |