The wreckage of a car belonging to senior Hamas official Ismail Abu Shanab in Gaza city (AP)
Israel Kills Hamas Leader in Missile Strike Story aired: Thursday, August 21, 2003
Israeli helicopter gunships fired several missiles at a car in Gaza City, killing a senior Hamas leader this morning. Dozens of Hamas supporters at the scene dunked their fists in blood and soot, raised them in the air and threatened revenge, chanting "God is great." The Hamas leadership has now declared that it no longer feels bound by the three-month ceasefire.
All this comes two days after Hamas and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb that killed 20 in Jerusalem. Today, there is a very different mood from last night, when the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his cabinet appeared to be considering the most dramatic moves yet against radical Islamic groups, including arresting leaders of the groups.
