Hamas Abandons Cease-fire after Israeli Strike

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Hamas Abandons Cease-fire after Israeli Strike

Israeli assassination of one of theprominent leaders of Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) onThursday was the last bullet ending the three-month hudna (truce).

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Israeli assassination of one of theprominent leaders of Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) onThursday was the last bullet ending the three-month hudna (truce).

Ismail Abu Shanab, considered as a moderate Hamas leader inGaza, was killed as he was driving his car in a neighborhoods ofGaza City together with his two bodyguards.

Israeli Apache helicopters fired three missiles at Abu Shanab'scar and completely burned it.

Hundreds of Palestinian bystanders rushed toward the car, tryingto fight the fire and getting them out of the car, but the three bodies were totally burned when taken out of the car.

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) had immediately condemned the assassinating operation.

"We strongly condemn this action completely," PNA Minister of Information Nabil Amer said, adding "this irresponsible act by Israel would put lots of difficulties before the PNA in its effortsto bring about calmness and tranquility."

"This act would bring back the cycle of violence and blood,which we had always been working to end," said Amer, stressing that such kind of actions would certainly complicate the politicaltrack.

Amer warned that Israel's policy of assassination would lead tomore horrible deterioration that the region is witnessing.

Hamas also had its immediate reaction, declaring that the three-month hudna is over after the Israeli missile strike.

The hudna was declared by Hamas and some other Palestinianmilitant groups on June 29 to end armed and suicide bombing attacks against Israel.

"The assassination of Abu Shanab ... means that the Zionist enemy has assassinated the truce and the Hamas movement holds the Zionist enemy fully responsible for the consequences of its crime,"Ismail al-Haniyah, a Hamas senior official, told reporters in Gaza.

"If the Zionist enemy thinks that by killing a Hamas leadersthey could kill the intifada (uprising), they are wrong," al-Haniyah said.

"The killing of Abu Shanab represents a new life for themovement and the Palestinian resistance," he said, adding "the fewcoming days will prove that."

Al-Haniyah also hinted that attacks could be carried out againstIsrael.

"If Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Prime Minister MahmoudAbbas continues to call for ending the intifada, he should leavehis position," he declared.

Abu Shanab was one of the most prominent Hamas leaders in theGaza Strip and one of the founders of the movement.

Abu Shanab, born in 1955 and spoke fluent English, held a masterdegree in construction engineer from Colorado State University inthe United States and used to teach engineering at Gaza's IslamicUniversity.

He served as a deputy to Hamas spiritual leader Ahmad Yassin andwas imprisoned by Israel for this for five years in 1991.

After his release in 1996, Abu Shanab served as Hamas' observerin the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Committee.He also chaired the Engineers' Association in Gaza City.

Abu Shanab was considered to be the third-in-command in the Hamas movement, behind Ahmad Yassin and senior representativeAbdel-Aziz Al-Rantisi.

Abu Shanab, who was known for his non-military activities, was frequently interviewed on different Arab and foreign satellite channels as Hamas speaker.

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