Jerusalem, Aug 29: The military wing of Hamas today vowed to avenge the assassination of its member Hamdi Kalkha, killed in an Israeli missile attack in the Gaza Strip last night, "as soon as possible," local media reported. "Our mujahideen will avenge our martyr as soon as possible to ensure that the Zionists pay the price," the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
The Army fired at least one missile from a helicopter into a suburb of Khan Yunis, near Gaza's southern border with Egypt, a news daily quoted a Palestinian security official as saying. Witnesses said that jets had been flying over the area for about half an hour before the attack. Israeli defence sources described him as an "expert terrorist" and claimed he was on his way to launch Qassam missiles into Jewish settlements.
This was the fourth targeted killing of a Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip in the past week. It took place shortly after Israeli forces entered Beit Hanun to flatten a grove in the area where a Hamas cell launched the Qassam rocket at Ashkelon for the first time since "intifada" began. "The Army will continue to assassinate Hamas militants in order to prevent terror attacks," the paper quoted a senior Israeli defence official as saying to Israel radio.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon instructed the defence establishment to take all necessary steps against Hamas to prevent future rocket attacks, an Israeli newspaper reported.
The Army was preparing itself for a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, but was also waiting to see what actions the Palestinian Authority was going to undertake against militants, the daily quoted Israel Radio. Bureau Report