The Islamic Resistance movement Hamas vowed to wage "total war" against Israel on all fronts and using all its means after Israeli forces killed four of its members, including Hasan al Sorkaji, Izziddin al Qassam West Bank secret commander, in Nablus.
In a statement received Tuesday by AFP, Hamas said "This massacre opens the door wide open to total war that will hit the Zionists everywhere and with all the means at our disposal," referring to the Nablus raid which Israel said left two top Hamas bomb-makers dead.
Assassination in Nablus
Sources within Hamas confirmed Tuesday morning that the four Palestinians who were assassinated by the Israeli occupation forces earlier in the day in the West Bank city of Nablus were senior members of the movement.
The sources said that Hasan al Sorkaji, Izziddin al Qassam (Hamas’ military wing) West Bank secret commander was among the martyrs.
An Israeli news report confirmed by Palestinians said that the four Palestinians were killed by the Israeli occupation forces which started pulling out of Nablus after penetrating it pre-dawn Tuesday. The occupation forces took up positions in the city before storming the houses of some Palestinians and arresting them.
Earlier, the Israeli army claimed in an official statement that “five terrorists were killed when they shot at the Israeli soldiers during the raid on Nablus, which spurred our soldiers to respond back killing five terrorists and arresting nine other suspects.” But an Israeli spokesman told AFP later that “only four terrorists were killed and not five as was announced before.”
The spokesman asserted that the Israeli soldiers came across during their raid on Nablus a secret laboratory for the production of explosives adding that the four martyrs were apparently gearing up for an assault against Israel. “Four Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded during the raid,” added the spokesman.
For his part, Hamas spokesman in the West Bank, Hasan Yousef, pointed out the four Hamas members were killed when the Israeli forces targeted a residential building in Nablus. The martyrs, according to Yousef, were Yousef al Sorkaji, 42, Nasim Abu al Rous, 27, Jaser Smaro, 27, and Karim Mafarjeh, 25. “Sorkaji was on the top of the Israeli list of the most wanted,” added Hamas spokesman.
Sorkaji was exiled to Lebanon in the early nineties. Israel accused him as being the mastermind behind most of Hamas operations in the West Bank during the past few years. Earlier, Hamas sources said that the four members were killed as a result of the Israeli shelling of their building and not due to shooting attacks as the Israeli military spokesman claimed before.
The same sources confirmed that their bodies had been found torn to pieces and that the Israeli army arrested nine other members of Hamas.
According to Israeli security sources, cited in Haaretz, two of the dead men - Smaro and Abu al Rous - were technical experts and Israel says they prepared the explosive devices used in the recent suicide attacks in Haifa, in Jerusalem’s Sbarro pizzeria and in the youth club on the beach of Tel Aviv.
According to this Israeli daily, Smaro and Abu al Rous were high on Israel's most-wanted list. The two had close connections to Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, who was assassinated by Israel two months ago. In 1997, while they were in a Palestinian jail in Jericho, they prepared the explosive devices used by suicide bombers in Jerusalem's market and pedestrian mall.
According to Palestinian reports, one of the deads, Karim Mafarjeh, was found in a sitting position, stripped to his underwear, in the shower of his apartment. Mahmoud al-Alul, the governor of Nablus, said: "The men were killed in cold blood. They [the army] raided an apartment and killed people in their beds in the early morning."
Israel army spokesman dismissed this accusation, saying: "I fully and categorically reject any allegations that this operation was anything other than a legitimate operation against Hamas terrorists.”
Protest
In response to the Israeli raid in Nablus, about 2,500 Hamas followers surrounded Palestinian police headquarters and demanded the release of more than two dozen Hamas detainees. Protesters pushed open the gate of the compound and threw stones at policemen, who fired shots in the air and threw stun grenades. Two protesters were wounded, including one who was in critical condition with a bullet to the head.
Police released the brother of one of the Hamas activists killed Tuesday.
"Israelis will shed tears of blood for their actions against the Palestinians," Hamas activists chanted during the protests. The demonstrators called on the PA to cease arresting Palestinian activists and to stand up to U.S. and European pressure to do so.
Meanwhile, the occupation forces have withdrawn from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, which was reoccupied before dawn Monday. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
