The Islamic Jihad vowed on Thursday to avenge the death of its leader in Hebron, Mohammed Sider, who was killed earlier in the day by Israeli army forces.
"The Jerusalem Brigades reserve the right to respond to the
Zionist...assassination of mujahid leader Mohammed Sider
despite the truce declared by the factions," the Neda al-Quds Web site, closely affiliated with Islamic Jihad, said.
"The response will be quick, like an earthquake and in the depth of the Zionist entity," it added.
"We assure our people that resistance has a long arm and these crimes will not pass without punishment," Bassam Assadi, a top Islamic Jihad official said on Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite television.
A special Israeli Army unit operating in Hebron on Thursday morning killed Mohammed Sider, the head of the
Islamic Jihad in the West Bank city, who was holed
up in a store in the city center, Israeli media reported.
According to the reports, Sider threw a grenade at the
troops from his hiding place. Israeli troops responded by firing anti-tank missiles at the building, causing a huge
blast, leading Israeli security forces to suspect that a large amount of explosives was stored in the building.
Furthermore, according to the reports, an Israeli army bulldozer later destroyed the building, and Israeli forces arrested the man suspected of hiding the activist in the store.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops arrested overnight Thursday two "wanted" Palestinians in Nablus and Qalqilyah. An
explosive device was thrown at troops operating
in Qalqilyah, with no injuries.
Earlier Thursday, occupation troops in Nablus demolished the
home of Hamas activist Islam Yusuf Kapisha, who carried out the recent suicide bombing in the West Bank settlement of Ariel. (Albawaba.com)
