A senior Hamas field commander, his assistant and a bystander died in ab Israeli air strike in Gaza City early Sunday.
Hamas called the attack a "cowardly assassination crime" and said it killed Wael Nassar, 38, a top Hamas commander; his assistant, Mohammed Sarsour, 31; and an unidentified bystander. The two Hamas leaders were on the motorcycle when it exploded, witnesses said.
The Israeli military said its air force carried out the strike, aimed at "two senior Hamas commanders who were responsible for many attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings, and were planning further attacks."
According to The AP, statements from local mosques mourned Nassar, one of the founders of the Hamas military wing - Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zohri accused Israel of a "cowardly assassination crime," part of Israel's "bloody escalation" against the Palestinians.
Also early Sunday, Israeli tanks and bulldozers briefly entered the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza Strip-Egypt border and flattened some partially destroyed structures, residents said.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
