MIDDLE EAST: Israeli rockets shattered a car travelling in a neighbourhood of Gaza City yesterday afternoon in an operation aimed at assassinating the chief bomb mastermind in the militant Hamas movement, whom Israel says has been responsible for the deaths of dozens of its citizens over the last decade.
But it was not immediately clear whether the rockets, which killed three people and injured 35 bystanders, including more than a dozen youngsters, had hit their intended target - Mohammed Deif. Israeli security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were almost sure that Deif, who has been at the top of their wanted list since the mid-90s, had been killed when the rockets, fired by attack helicopters, slammed into a Mercedes travelling in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, turning it into a mangled wreck.
But leading Hamas officials insisted Deif, who earlier this year escaped an assassination attempt, had again survived, having sustained only moderate injuries. In the earlier attempt to kill him, Deif jumped out of a car he was in seconds before it was obliterated by helicopter-launched rockets.
Two of the three men killed were identified as Hamas activists whom Israel said served as aides to Deif. Six people were said to be in serious condition. Hamas leaders vowed revenge: "We will hit Tel Aviv. We will hit everywhere," said Mr Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a movement leader.
The scene of the attack was scattered with body parts, and hundreds of angry Palestinians poured into the street where the Mercedes and a second car were on fire.
In the past, Israel's assassination of leading Hamas figures has sparked bloody reprisals by the militant Islamic group, which has responded by sending suicide bombers into Israeli cities. Deif succeeded his mentor Yehiye Ayash, known as "The Engineer", who was killed by Israel in 1996 after masterminding a series of suicide strikes. Two months after his death, Hamas carried out four devastating attacks inside Israel in the space of just 10 days in which killed over 50 people.
Deif was held for a period of time by the Palestinian Authority, but was set free when violence between the sides erupted two years ago. After Israel two months ago killed Salah Shehadeh, the leader of the Hamas military wing in Gaza, Deif replaced him. Hamas responded to Shehadeh's death by sending bombers into Israel.
Four other Palestinians, including a 14-month-old baby girl, and an Israeli soldier were killed in separate incidents yesterday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinians said the infant, Gharam Manaa, was in the market in the West Bank city of Hebron when Israeli soldiers fired teargas during clashes. Hospital officials said the girl appeared to have died of teargas inhalation.
The Israeli officer, Harel Mermelstein, 23, was killed by a Palestinian gunman who fired from a cave at troops searching for militants in a village east of the West Bank city of Tul Karm. Soldiers returned fire and killed the gunman, a senior Hamas activist in the area, Nash'at abu Jbara.
After nightfall, four Israelis, including an infant, were lightly injured when Palestinian gunmen ambushed their car, south of Hebron.
Earlier yesterday, a Hamas gunman was killed in a gun-battle with Israeli soldiers near a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip. Overnight Wednesday, Palestinians said Mahmood Hasis (52) a resident of Jenin, was hit by army fire and killed.
In Ramallah, Israel continued its siege on Mr Yasser Arafat, who is holed up in his compound with aides and members of his security forces.