28 September 2004	Tuesday	12 Shaban 1425

AL YARMOUK CAMP, Sept 27: The Hamas group said on Monday an Arab country might have helped Israel assassinate one of its leaders in Damascus, an act it called "treason".

Anger was louder than grief as mourners carried the coffin of Izz el Deen al Sheikh Khalil, who died on Sunday when a bomb ripped through his car in a Damascus neighbourhood where he had lived since his 1992 expulsion from Israel to Lebanon.

"My father is now in heaven and I am going to blow them (Israelis) up," said Khalil's six-year-old son at the funeral. Mohammad appeared unaware of the meaning of his words as his father's friends lowered Khalil's remains into the ground in the Al Yarmouk camp. But his sentiment was shared by many. "We don't want words, we want grenades," chanted the angry crowd as thousands of Palestinians from all walks of life took part in the procession through the dusty streets of the camp, home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

"This is cowardly ... They (Israelis) killed him like bats in the dark," said Nidal, who briefly lost his voice chanting anti-Israeli and anti-US slogans. Khalil, 42, headed Hamas' military wing outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources. Hamas officials said he was a mid-level official.

Hamas is responsible for many suicide bombings against Israel and is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. Syria and Hamas accused Israel of the assassination, which if carried out by Israel would be a rare foray into Syria.

Israeli security sources said on Sunday Israel planted the car bomb, but Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim refused to confirm or deny an Israeli role. The mourners carried the Palestinian flag and banners from every faction as they passed through camp streets lined with two-storey buildings and shops, many of which closed in respect.

Hamas's Lebanon representative Osama Hamdan, who arrived in Damascus on Monday for the funeral, said the assassination "was a grave escalation because it targeted the security of Syria".

"I am confident Syria will continue to uphold its principle (Arab) commitments at the head of which is its support for the Palestinian people until their legitimate rights are restored," Hamdan told reporters.

Hamdan said earlier on Monday an Arab country might have helped Israel assassinate Khalil in what he described as an act of "treason". He did not specify which.

An Arab country had given the Israeli spy agency Mossad information about the movements and habits of Hamas leaders abroad, Al Hayat newspaper said last week. Mr Boim, the Israeli minister, accused Syria of "directing terrorism" and warned it could face strikes against militants on its territory.

Palestinian activists said last week all Palestinian factions with offices in Syria had decided to close in view of increased US pressure to avoid embarrassing their hosts.

The group's politburo number two Moussa Abu Marzouk took part in the funeral prayer held at the camp under intense security. His aides refused to say if he came with Hamdan from Beirut or if he was in Damascus when the killing took place. Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's political chief, appeared in Cairo after disappearing from Damascus earlier this month. -Reuters