Israel Kills 2 Hamas Militants
JERUSALEM — A senior Hamas commander, his assistant and a bystander died in a fiery Israeli airstrike in Gaza City early today.
Hamas called the attack a “cowardly assassination crime” and said it killed Wael Nassar, 38, a top Hamas commander; his assistant, Mohammed Sarsour, 31; and an unidentified bystander. The two Hamas militants were on a motorcycle when it exploded, witnesses said.
The Israeli military said its air force carried out the strike, aimed at “two senior Hamas commanders who were responsible for many attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings, and were planning further attacks.”
Witnesses said they saw a flash in the sky before the motorcycle exploded. Outside the hospital morgue, angry Palestinians, most of them Hamas supporters, chanted “God is great!” At local mosques, loudspeakers amplified statements mourning Nassar.
Hamas spokesman Sami abu Zohri accused Israel of a “cowardly assassination crime.”
Also early today, Israeli tanks and bulldozers briefly entered the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza and flattened some partially destroyed structures, residents said. Israel ended a weeklong sweep there Monday.
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