Fierce fighting erupted in Gaza as an Israeli assassination squad and helicopter gunships targeted and killed a senior Hamas member.
| "Another one bites the dust..." |
Jihad Abu Swerah, from the Izz-el-deen al-Qassam armed wing of Hamas died during the raid on a Hamas stronghold in the central Gaza Strip during the early hours of Thursday.
| If the deader's named "Jihad" it's extra promotion points... |
The helicopter gunships fired atleast three missiles into his home killing him and injuring innocent bystanders.
| The carnage among the baby ducks was particularly horrible... |
The raid was the latest in an aggressive series of Israeli moves which further shatter the peace process in the region.
| The peace processor's unplugged, Mahmoud... |
Observers say the Israeli clamp down on Palestinian militants is destroying the US-backed "road map" for peace.
| Ummm... Hamas did that, when they boomed the bus... |
Ambulance medics said Jihad Abu Swerah, 34, was killed and his elderly father was wounded in the missile strike.
The helicopter gunships were called in to back up a small contingent of Israeli troops who came under a fierce resistance attack from Palestinian grenade and automatic weapons fire. The terrified soldiers had surrounded Swerah's home early on Thursday during a mission to arrest him and were caught by surprise ambush. The fighting was among the heaviest confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip in months. The helicopters fired three missiles at the house during the gun battle, camp residents said. Ambulances that arrived at the scene after Israeli forces withdrew found the body of Swerah in the rubble of the house.
| Could that be why they fired the missiles? |
An Israeli military official said three soldiers were wounded when they came under "massive fire" during "a pinpoint operation" in the Gaza Strip. |