- Title: GAZA: Israel kills two more Palestinian militants in Gaza.
- Date: 10th March 2012
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (MARCH 9, 2012) (REUTERS) CAR CARRYING BODY ARRIVES AT HOSPITAL PEOPLE PULLING BODY OUT OF CAR MORE PEOPLE PULLING BODY INTO HOSPITAL AMBULANCE ARRIVING AT HOSPITAL MAN CRYING PEOPLE PULLING BODY PEOPLE AT MORGUE MEN CRYING PEOPLE CARRYING BODY INTO MORGUE
- Embargoed: 25th March 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Gaza, Gaza
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABAOPZ3ARDYUK2OVPT7DWQXQSN
- Story Text: Israel killed four Palestinian militants on Friday (March 9) in two separate air strikes in the Gaza Strip as gunmen fired rockets at Israel, Gaza militants and Hamas officials said.
Two militant leaders died in an attack on a car in Gaza City, launched after two rockets were fired at Israel from the coastal territory, causing no damage or injury.
Separate air strikes launched after darkness fell killed two more militants in Gaza, Hamas Islamist officials in Gaza said.
The Israeli military confirmed it had launched three air strikes aimed at thwarting attempts to fire rockets at southern Israeli towns.
In a statement, Israel said one of those killed was Zuheir al-Qessi, who Palestinians said headed the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an umbrella group of armed activists from different factions.
The military said the militants were preparing to attack Israel across the Egyptian border in the "coming days," suggesting that the air attack on the car was ordered to stop the planned assault.
Qessi's death brought a swift call for retaliation from the PRC, reigniting tensions along the tense frontier, with several militant groups claiming they fired rockets at Israel.
The military said militants fired eight rockets in all, and there were no reports of casualties but Israelis living along the Gaza frontier were urged to stay indoors.
Mahmoud al-Hanani, a local militant leader, was also killed in the Israeli assaults.
A Hamas official said Hanani was originally from the West Bank and had been exiled by Israel five years ago, but denied earlier reports he had been one of those freed from an Israeli jail last year as part of a prisoner swap deal to gain the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Qessi was elected chief of the PRC last August after Israel killed his predecessor in an air strike in the southern Gazan town of Rafah.
Israel said it targeted Qessi and Hanani after accusing the PRC of staging attacks along its border with Egypt that killed seven Israelis.
The PRC has denied involvement in that cross-border attack, but Israeli charged that Qessi was one of those involved in its planning.
Gaza militants vowed to retaliate for Israel's attacks.
Israel often launches retaliatory attacks after missiles are fired at its territory from Gaza, though such strikes had grown rarer in past weeks.
The last lethal Israeli strike in Gaza was in mid-January when two Palestinians were killed in attacks Israel said targeted a squad planting bombs at the border fence. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None