The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday officially declared its ceasefire finished after an Israeli air strike killed one of its top leaders, exacting revenge for a massive suicide bomb and hammering the final nail into the coffin of a floundering truce.
Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas senior official, made the statement after the death of Ismail Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards, killed by Israeli rockets that turned their car into a fireball in central Gaza City.
”The assassination of Abu Shanab is also the assassination of the ceasefire,” said Haniyeh.
Eyewitnesses said an Israeli F-16 fired three rockets at a white Volkswagen Golf sedan belonging to Hamas political leader Ismail Abu Shanab. The car burst into flames with people inside. When Palestinians rushed up to aid the passengers, the plane fired two more rockets.
The air strike came after the Israeli government authorised reprisals for a massive Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Tuesday, which killed 20 people and wounded around 120.
Palestinian security sources said at least three people were dead, and medical sources said at least two of the charred bodies were taken to Shafaa hospital. Three other Palestinians were wounded in the midday (9am GMT) attack in central Gaza City.
Palestinian Culture Minister Ziad Abu Amr, who had been liaising with militant groups about the truce, said: ”The official position is that the truce is over and Israel is responsible for that, not only because of this assassination in Gaza but also because of many actions which had been continuing before.”
There was no word from the Israeli army on the lunchtime attack in Gaza, which came hours after Israeli forces launched a series of operations in the West Bank in which at least one Palestinian was also killed.
Palestinian officials had earlier said they would begin their own crackdown on Hamas and Islamic Jihad which both claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s suicide attack in Jerusalem that killed 20 people and injured about 100.
Palestinian sources have said the bomber was a Hamas member who formerly belonged to Islamic Jihad.
Israel’s security cabinet approved military action against the two groups early on Thursday. Public radio said the moves would include raids, arrests and ”targeted killings” of militant leaders.
The car attack was the first assassination by Israeli forces since they tried to kill Hamas political leader Abdulaziz Rantissi on June 10.
Israeli tanks and troops had entered the northern West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem overnight, sparking firefights with Palestinian gunmen.
Palestinian sources said a 15-year-old boy died after being shot in Tulkarem where tanks and jeeps thrust into the city and its neighbouring refugee camp.
Israeli tanks were also seen moving towards Ramallah, triggering speculation of a tighter reoccupation of the town housing the besieged headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as well as other Palestinian government offices.
Palestinian authorities had earlier told their security forces to begin a long-awaited crackdown on the hardliners, with orders issued to confiscate the militants’ weapons.
”Measures will be taken against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the coming hours,” one senior Palestinian security official said, without giving details.
Moderate Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas won unprecedented backing at a late-night meeting of the Palestinian leadership to embark on a
confrontation that has long been demanded by the United States and Israel.
Israel decided to freeze all talks with the Palestinians after the bus bomb that Israeli officials said was a direct consequence of the Palestinians’ failure to ”dismantle the terrorist infrastructure”.
The White House had earlier said it recognised Israel’s ”right to defend itself” and said Tuesday’s bombing ”only reinforced the need to crack down on terrorists.”
The new upsurge in violence threatened to completely derail a US-backed Middle East peace roadmap launched by US President George Bush on June 4 at a summit also attended by Sharon and Abbas.
In a bid to salvage the plan, Washington dispatched special envoy John Wolf to the region for a new round of talks with both sides.
Wolf, the man entrusted by Bush with overseeing the implementation of the roadmap, was to meet Israeli army chiefs on Thursday, the first full day of his tour. — Sapa-AFP
Top Hamas man was ‘directing attacks’