GAZA - Two Palestinian militants who survived an Israeli missile strike that tore apart a car in the Gaza Strip on Thursday were killed soon after by another missile as they ran from the scene, Palestinian security sources said.| I love a story with a happy ending |
| "Quick Ahmed, the car's getting ready to blow! Ha, we got away this time......hey, what's that sound?" |
| Two out of three ain't bad |
Additional from JP: An IAF helicopter targeted a large van in Dir el-Balah in Gaza, and then fired another missile at a vehicle near the evacuated former settlement of Netzarim Thursday morning, according to Israel Radio. Two Islamic Jihad terrorists died of their wounds in the strike. The vehicle hit in the strike, according to IDF and Palestinain sources, functioned as a mobile Kassam launcher, and caused an enormous explosion after it was hit. The IDF confirmed that the targets were Islamic Jihad operatives who were on their way to fire Kassam rockets at Israel. According to IDF sources, the same squad had fired Kassams at Ashkelon and other Israeli targets in the past.
The Islamic Jihad men were identified as Wael Nassar, 27, and Ahmad Abu Najam, 23, senior field operatives in its military wing. They were both initially pronounced dead by Palestinian Health Ministry officials, but doctors at a Gaza hospital found them to still be alive upon there arrival. One of the men sustained chest wounds and lost both of his legs, while the other lost a leg and part of his head.
| And died a slow painful death |
Islamic Jihad is responsible for almost all Kassam rocket attacks on Israel since the pullout from Gaza last summer, and has recently raised its capabilities by acquiring and firing Grad-type Katyusha rockets, which have a longer range and carry more explosives, at Israel. In the past two weeks Israel has stepped up an offensive in northern Gaza aimed at halting the rocket fire. The offensive has consisted of expanding its artillery offensive. The leader of Islamic Jihad vowed two weeks ago that rocket attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli targets would continue, despite the Israeli offensive in the northern Gaza Strip.
In a statement posted on the Islamic Jihad Web site, Ramadan Shalah said Islamic Jihad considers rocket fire a "direct threat" to Israel. "Therefore firing rockets will continue," he said. He also said the organization was making efforts to infiltrate Israel with suicide bombers from the West Bank. "The nonstop crackdown against our resistance might limit this effort, but it's not going to stop it," he said.