Israeli soldiers operating in the Nur A-Shams refugee camp, close to the West Bank city of Tulkarem, shot dead a local leader of the Hamas military wing hours after another leader was killed near Bethlehem.
Hamdi Darduk, head of Palestinian Intelligence in Tulkarem said that Tareq Abed Rabbo, the local leader of Hamas' military wing, was killed by troops who discovered him hiding in a closet. Another six Palestinians were wounded during the raid, Palestinian officials said.
Another member of Hamas, Mohammed Walid, gave himself up, the Israel Radio said.
Senior Hamas activist, Abed al-Yusef Abu-Moussa, was shot dead Friday morning by Israeli troops in a village south of Bethlehem. Hamas has vowed revenge for his death.
Later Friday, another Palestinian was killed and two seriously injured when a bomb apparently exploded accidentally in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said.
Sources said the blast was most likely caused by a bomb being prepared for use later against Israeli targets in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier Friday in the Strip, some 30,000 people attended a rally in Khan Yunis to mark the 15th anniversary of the founding of Hamas.
Some of those present carried anti-tank missiles and Qassam rockets, while others wore mock explosives belts, similar to those sometimes used by suicide bombers.
Speakers at the rally urged the Palestinian people to continue with the Intifada. "The resistance will go on uninterrupted...Hamas was created to defend the Palestinian people and will continue the jihad and resistance," Ahmad Nimer, a local Hamas leader wanted by Israel told AFP in Khan Yunis. (Albawaba.com)
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