On the assassination of one official in the resistance committees
Palestine-Israel, Military, 4/4/2006

(Because we did not publish since past Thursday, we are running this late report because of its importance).

April 1, 2006

Witnesses said that armed Palestinians exchanged fire with the Palestinian security forces, after one key Palestinian leader in the people's resistance committees was killed in his car explosion in Gaza.

Khalil al-Qouqa, better known as "Abi Youssef" ( 42 year old ) was killed in al-Nasera area in front of the open Jerusalem university in Gaza.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza said that the fire exchange resulted in injuring one child and that the clashes took place after statements by the resistance committees in which it accused certain members of the security forces of involvment in the assassination operations, noting that the identity of the gunmen was not unknown.

On the assassination operation, the correspondent said that witnesses stressed that one shelling at least hit the car of "martyr al-Qouqa." The correspondent added quoting also the witnesses that the car blew up following one missile shelling fired by one Israeli warplanes, noting that witnesses said that witnesses said they heard the noise of planes roaming during the time of the attack.
The people's resistance committees accused Israel of assassinating him. The spokesman for the committees Abu Abeer said that "one Israeli reconnaissance plane exploded a booby trapped car near him while he was walking on the feet ," while the Israeli army denied that it is behind the explosion.

The Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz issued following a meeting with the leaders of the army on Thursday his instructions to escalate the operations of his forces to assassinate the activists of the Palestinian resistance after the launching of Katyusha missiles against Israel by the beginning of the week.

The assassination of the Palestinian leader al-Qouqa comes hours after the killing of four Israelis when one Palestinian detonated himself near Kadmomim settlement in the west bank on Thursday.

The explosion also came after Israeli sources expected the occupation army to escalate its operation against the activists of the Palestine national liberation movement ( Fatah) following Kadomim operation which was claimed by al-Aqsa group which also resulted in killing its executor.

Few hours after Kadomim operation, the Israeli occupation planes raided Gaza during which to bombarded roads and bridges believed that Palestinian activists are using to launch missile on Israel, but without casualties.

Also the Israeli raid came after one day of vast security moves by the Israeli side especially in north Gaza, at the pretext of preventing the armed Palestinians from launching missiles at it.

On the other hand, the Israeli occupation army detained 8 Palestinians early morning Friday after the occurrence of the operation, one of them is the brother of the operation's executor which al-Aqsa martyrs groups announced that his name is Ahmad Mahmoud Mashareqa ( 24 year old) and he is from Hebron, West Bank.

The Israeli police said that the Palestinian who detonated himself in one Israeli car which was carrying his after he had disguised in the uniform of an Israeli soldier. The car went off near a fuel station at the entrance of Kadomim settlement east of Qalqilya city.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the Palestinian operation in Kadomim and called for the need to abide by calmness.

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