Israeli troops killed a leading Palestinian activist and two others near the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday evening.
Palestinian sources said that Israeli tanks located on a hilltop overlooking the refugee camp of Balata fired rockets at Mahmoud Titi, 30, and two other Palestinians, killing them. Titi was a regional commander in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group affiliated with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
The Israeli army said that it was responsible for the assassination. In a statment released following the strike, the occupation army described Titi as a "senior terrorist" who was responsible for many attacks against Israelis. The statement said that after the attack, Israeli troops left Palestinian territory.
The Israeli army spokesman also said that Titi was responsbile for the deaths of 11 Israelis, among them five people killed in a shooting attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv in March.
The other two dead in the Wednesday attack were identified by residents as Iyad Abu Hamdan, 22, and Imad Al-Khatib, 25.
Palestinians picked up nail-like fragments indicating flechette shells, which are packed with thousands of darts for greater deadliness. Human rights groups say their use is against international law, but the Israeli military has admitted to using them in the past. The military had no immediate comment. (Albawaba.com)
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