GAZA (voa) – Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip have killed a senior commander of the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a car in the southern town of Khan Younis late Thursday, killing Bakr Hamdan and wounding two other Palestinians inside the vehicle. Israel says Mr. Hamdan was responsible for dozens of attacks against its citizens. Hamas vowed revenge for the killing.
Shortly after the airstrike, an Israeli tank nearby killed two armed Palestinians, who the Israeli army said were trying to infiltrate a Jewish settlement (Gush Katif).
Earlier, two Palestinians were blown up apparently by their own bombs near a Jewish settlement in Gaza. Another Palestinian died in a shootout with Israeli troops in the Palestinian West Bank town of Ramallah.
The latest violence followed Tuesday’s shooting in Jerusalem where a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli women before being shot dead by police.
Israel accuses Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of doing little to stop such attacks and has confined him to his headquarters in Ramallah since early last month.
A White House spokesman (Ari Fleisher) said Thursday that President Bush understands why Israel has taken such actions, and said it is up to Mr. Arafat to show he is willing to combat terrorism.
Meanwhile, President Bush is reported to have provided the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia with evidence that Mr. Arafat’s Palestinian Authority was involved in trying to smuggle a huge shipload of weapons seized by Israel this month in the Red Sea.
U.S. news reports say that un-named senior administration officials did not describe the evidence, but said Mr. Bush asked the Arab leaders to help persuade Mr. Arafat to make more arrests and do more to fight terrorism.
U.S. officials are also reported to have considered closing the Palestinians’ office in Washington.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials say Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has accepted an invitation to visit President Bush on February 7.
