GAZA, Oct 27: Seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the car of an Islamic Jihad militant in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Among the dead were Jihad’s top commander in the northern Gaza Strip, Shahdi Mhanna, and at least one other militant. The identities of the other dead were not immediately clear.
A further 10 people were wounded.
The attack came on the heels of a threat by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to launch an open-ended offensive against Palestinian militants after a suicide bomber killed five Israelis on Wednesday.
The suicide bombing in the coastal city of Hadera dealt a serious blow to an eight-month-old truce and international hopes for a revival of peacemaking after Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last month.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call to do more to rein in militants, and Mr Sharon ruled out talks with Mr Abbas until he took ‘serious action’ against armed groups.
Mr Sharon said there could be no advance towards peace for now because of the ‘absolute failure of the Palestinian Authority in the fight against terrorism’, and promised to launch a major military operation expected to focus on the occupied West Bank.
“Our action will be broad and will not stop until it brings about a cessation of terrorism,” Mr Sharon said before a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tel Aviv.
Mr Sharon had agreed to an offensive in the northern West Bank against Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for the Hadera bombing to avenge the killing of a top commander on Monday.
In a possible prelude to a broader military campaign, an Israeli armoured force swept into Jenin, West Bank, and arrested a local Islamic Jihad leader before pulling out.
No timetable was given for the West Bank offensive amid the worst flare-up of violence since Israel left Gaza on Sept 12 after 38 years of occupation. Aircraft launched six missile strikes on the Gaza Strip that Israel said were to stop rocket fire from the territory.
Troops arrested the 20-year-old suicide bomber’s father in the northern West Bank on Thursday. Another nine suspected militants were also held.
MARKET BOMBER: The suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a sandwich stand in the main outdoor market in Hadera. Five people were killed and more than 30 wounded.
The attack was the first bombing in the Jewish state since Aug 28, when a suicide bomber wounded 20 people in Beersheba.
Mr Abbas denounced the bombing and pledged to try to salvage the truce he agreed to earlier this year.
“We strongly condemn the Israeli aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza just as we condemn the incident in Hadera,” Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said. “What happened (on Wednesday) ... is like spilling oil on a fire.”
The Hadera bombing came hours after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel should be ‘wiped off the map’, remarks that drew international condemnation.
Mr Sharon responded with a call for Iran to be expelled from the United Nations. —Reuters
