Israel bombards Hamas activists

Ahmad Shahwan, one leader of the Ezz Eddine al-Qassam group, the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas), was gravely injured in a missile attack to the south of Gaza.

Preliminary news reports said that one Israeli reconnaissance plane targeted Shahwan and colleagues after they had fired mortars shelling at a gathering for Ghoushe Katif settlement. News reports in Gaza said that the Israeli plane targeted the activists of Hamas to the south of the Austrian quarters in Khan Younis.

Earlier, Ahmad Barhoum, the activist in the Hamas movement ,was killed in a fire exchange with the Israeli occupation soldiers in Rafah to the south of Gaza. News reports said that Israeli military positions in the sector and near the borders with Egypt were exposed to attacks by machine guns and anti tanks missiles.

On the other hand, an Israeli ministerial committee discussed measures to re-settle 8,000 Israeli settlers who will be evacuated in the framework of the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon expressed his regret over the delay in building houses for those settlers.