Hamas declares truce with Israel over
Palestinian militant group Hamas has called an end to its truce with Israel after a missile strike by Israeli forces killed Abu Shanab.
The Hamas leader died when an Israeli helicopter gunship fired up to five missiles into a residential neighbourhood.
The attack followed a suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem on Tuesday that killed 20 people and left 120 wounded.
Morgue officials confirmed the death of Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards.
Israeli authorities revealed they were targeting Shanab as he travelled in a white car with his guards. He is accused of plotting terror attacks on Israel.
The attack marked the first by Israeli forces against a Palestinian target since the June truce was agreed.
Hours earlier, Israeli forces raided the West Bank cities of Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm, searching for suspected militants.
Hamas has vowed to avenge the killing and announced that the attack freed it from its commitment to the US-led roadmap to peace and the temporary ceasefire declared on June 29th.
“The assassination of Abu Shanab … means that the Zionist enemy has assassinated the truce and the Hamas movement holds the Zionist enemy fully responsible for the consequences of its crime,” declared senior Hamas official Ismail al-Haniyah.
Israeli foreign ministry official Gideon Meir responded saying, “This announcement is ridiculous, coming from a movement which claimed responsibility for this horrific attack and attempted a whole string of attacks over the last two weeks.”
The roadmap for peace aims to bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and outlines steps towards establishing an independent Palestinian state by 2005.
However, this latest spate of violent attacks is threatening to derail the fragile peace process.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said the Israeli attack would undermine plans by the Palestinian Authority to rein in militant groups and arrest those behind Tuesday’s bus bombing.
Another militant group, Islamic Jihad, is reportedly considering whether or not to end its truce.
