A top Palestinian resistance leader swore on Saturday to avenge an Israeli air strike that killed two of his aides and wounded him along with 27 bystanders in Gaza City. "The leader, Mohammed Deif, swears that he will not rest until he meets God as a fighter," said a statement by the military wing of Hamas, an Islamic group dedicated to Israel's destruction and which has been at the forefront of a two-year-old Palestinian uprising for independence.

On Thursday, Deif survived an Israeli track-and-kill operation in which helicopter missile destroyed his car, killing two of his comrades and wounding 27 other Palestinians.

Deif had long been on Israel's wanted list, and Hamas at first denied he was among the casualties.

"The decision not to disclose that he was at the site of the attack was for security reasons, required by the safety of the leader," the statement said, adding that Deif was "in good health and in a safe place among his brother fighters."

PHOTO CAPTION

United Nations rescue staff help Palestinians evacuate a wounded boy during clashes with Israeli occupation troops north of the Gaza Strip, September 28, 2002. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah
- Sep 28 8:37 AM ET