Sharon's Helicopters Assassinate Abu Shanab, Hamas Ends Truce

21/08/2003| IslamWeb

Senior Hamas political leader Ismaeel Abu Shanab was among three Palestinians killed today afternoon by missiles fired by Zionist helicopters in Gaza, a Palestinian officials confirmed. The attack took place in the Rimal neighborhood. Paramedics pulled three bodies out of the burning vehicle, those of Abu Shanab and his two bodyguards. Witnesses said Abu Shanab's gold-colored station wagon was driving and had slowed down to avoid a large stone in the road when a first missile struck the front of the vehicle. A second missile quickly followed, said Naim Shaban, who owns a metal workshop nearby. "I threw myself under a table in my shop, and the explosions continued," said Shaban. "Flames were coming from everywhere. When it stopped, I saw one helicopter turning west, toward the sea. I rushed to the car, and saw people burning inside." In response to the attack, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, Usama Hamdan, called an end to the Palestinian cease-fire and said Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government would be responsible for the results. Hamas vowed to avenge the killings. The Palestinian Authority condemned the assassination as "irresponsible." Information Minister Nabil Amr said the attack complicated the current situation and obstructed the PA's steps to take action against armed groups. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said that the assassination of Abu Shanab would undermine Palestinian efforts to crackdown on armed groups. Speaking to reporters outside his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Abbas condemned the killing. "There is no doubt that what the Israeli troops carried out today is an ugly crime," he said. "We condemn such acts. This is against peace and the peace process." "This for sure will affect the whole (peace) process and the decision taken (last night) by the Palestinian Authority," he said. Abu Shanab, a 53-year-old engineer, was released by Israel in 1997 after serving an eight-year sentence for his role as an aide to Hamas leader and founder, Ahmed Yassin. After his release he served as a lecturer in the Islamic University, Faculty of Engineering, Gaza. In June, Zionists fired missiles at the car of another Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who escaped with minor injuries. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Shaheed Ismael Abu Shanab. (AFP/Mahmoud Hams)