Israeli soldiers kill resistance leader
Israeli troops have killed a local leader of the Islamic Jihad movement in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, dealing a blow to the US-backed “road map” for peace.
Israeli occupation forces fired rockets at the home of Muhammad Sidar, according to a senior official for the group on Thursday.
A local leader of the group Bassam al-Saadi warned that Palestinians would retaliate.
“This is a major crime and the Israeli army will pay the price for it in its soldiers and settlers,” he said.
Last Friday Israeli soldiers stormed a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, killing four Palestinians, including two members of the Hamas resistance movement.
Palestinians retaliated for those killings earlier this week when two Palestinians detonated separate blasts, leaving two Israelis dead.
Sidar’s killing took place after Israeli soldiers surrounded his home throughout the morning.
More destruction
 |
|
Israeli soldiers re-invade West |
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation troops demolished the family home of a Palestinian, who had detonated a bomb on Tuesday, in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
Palestinians condemn the Israeli policy of razing homes as collective punishment. Occupation soldiers also detained at least three Palestinians in Nablus, Qalqilya and Hebron.
Qalqilya residents said soldiers stormed into homes and seized at least three men, none of them known resistance fighters.
Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, has criticised Israel’s continued detentions, saying they fuelled resistance fighters and violated a truce declared by Palestinian groups, temporarily halting anti-occupation attacks.
Overnight, Israeli soldiers stormed the West Bank city of Jenin, raiding homes and forcing women and children to stand in the streets for hours.
The raid was aimed at al-Saadi’s home in particular, who Israel says is one of their most wanted, reported our correspondent.
Israeli tanks withdrew from Jenin in the dawn hours of Thursday.
And in the city of Ram Allah, Israel slapped on a blanket closure, just days after it lifted a blockade, reported our correspondent.
Despite the heightened tensions, Palestinian security chief Mohammad Dahlan and Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz planned to meet on Thursday to discuss steps on the “road map”.