WORLD BREAKING NEWS
Israel kills Hamas leader.
Sheik Ahmed Yassin Hit By Israeli Helicopter Missile Strike.
Photo:
Yassin was killed by a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli
helicopter.
He was targeted as he returned from a mosque in Gaza City at daybreak. Seven others were killed and many wounded. The killing triggered unrest and calls for revenge from Palestinians, as tens of thousands took part in a funeral. Hamas said Israel had "opened the gates of hell" - but the army said the Sheikh had been "personally responsible" for the killing of Israelis. Security forces killed the Hamas leader in an air strike on his car in northern Gaza Strip, an army statement said. Reports from the scene said Sheikh Yassin was being pushed in his wheelchair when he was directly hit by a missile. Two bodyguards and one of Sheikh Yassin's sons were reported to be among those killed. At least 15 people were wounded. At the funeral procession in Gaza City mourners jostled to touch Sheikh Yassin's coffin, which was draped in a green Hamas flag. The Hamas leadership said Ariel Sharon had "opened the gates of hell". "The battle is open and war between us and them is open," said senior Hamas leader Abdul Aziz al Rantissi. "Today they killed an Islamic symbol."
Rage
After news of the killing broke crowds took to the streets in Gaza, denouncing Israel and calling for revenge. "We will send death to every house, every city, every street in Israel," shouted Hamas militants through loudspeakers. Clashes were reported near Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources say three Palestinians have been killed but Israeli military sources have not confirmed the deaths. Protests have spread to West Bank cities and a Palestinian injured three Israelis in a knife attack near Tel Aviv. The BBC's David Chazan in Gaza says the grief and anger is not limited to Hamas supporters, and further attacks and suicide bombings appear inevitable. In the first reaction from the US, the State Department appealed for calm. A senior official urged all sides to show restraint. UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the killing of an elderly man in a wheelchair was "unjustified" and "very unlikely to achieve its objective". France also condemned the assassination, and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said it was "very, very bad news" for the Middle East peace process.
Photos from left to right: Photo 1: Several people were hurt in the attack in Gaza City. Photo 2: Hamas has vowed to strike back at Israel in revenge for Yassin's death.