A leading Hamas activist was killed Friday by Israeli forces in Hebron, according to Palestinian sources in the city. They reported that Mohammed Jamal Yamour, 21, was killed after troops surrounded his house in the Farash neighborhood on Hebron and opened fire.
Israel Radio reported that Yamour was killed while attempting to escape.
Elsewhere, Israeli troops force raided the central Gaza Strip town of Dir al-Balah early Friday morning, and declared a curfew as troops searched house-to-house in a sweep for Palestinian activists, witnesses and security sources said. Israel Radio reported that three wanted Palestinians, apparently members of Hamas, were arrested in the action.
Meanwhile, Israel's cabinet minister Matan Vilnai said Friday that, according to intelligence information he had received, the Israeli army's attempted assassination Thursday of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif failed to kill the man, and only injured him. Deif's deputy and bodyguard were killed in the Apache missile attack on Thursday afternoon on his car in Gaza City.
Earlier Thursday, military sources had said that they were "99 percent certain" that Deif had been killed along with his bodyguard and deputy. Vilnai told Army Radio that, "the reports I received from our people were that (Deif) was indeed injured but did not suffer a life-threatening injury." (Albawaba.com)
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