Israeli gunfire targets Hamas spokesman
Israeli helicopter gunships have opened fire on a vehicle carrying a senior Hamas figure.
Abdel-Aziz Rantissi, a senior official inside the Palestinian military group, was wounded during the attack on his car in the Gaza strip.
Mr Rantissi’s Jeep was destroyed, but sources within Hamas insist that he is in a ‘good’ condition.
The missile fire killed a woman and reportedly wounded ten other people.
The attack comes in the wake of pledges from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and recently elected Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas to back the US-led roadmap for peace. The peace plan consists of a series of steps outlining the establishment of an independent Palestinian state by 2005.
However, Islamic radical groups have called Mr Abbas a ‘traitor’ for negotiating with the Israelis and have vowed to continue to fight the occupying power.
The Palestinian intifada has been going on for almost three years and looks set to continue, despite Mr Abbas’ assurances that he will bring an end to terrorist attacks.
Mr Rantissi is a well-known spokesman for Hamas in Gaza and has added his criticism to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Hamas has pulled out of ceasefire talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip earlier shot dead two Palestinian gunmen trying to infiltrate a Jewish settlement, and a Palestinian militant avoiding arrest in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel has torn down ten Jewish settlement outposts as part of its commitment to the roadmap for peace.
While the act was largely welcomed, several hardline Palestinian groups criticised it as an ‘insignificant step’ and some members of the Israelis government view it as giving in to the terrorists.
Mr Sharon has not yet announced that he will dismantle all the Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas as the American want. He has pledged to dismantle only the ‘unauthorised’ outposts, leaving many still in place. International law considers all the settlements illegal.
