Posted on 08/29/2003 1:27:04 AM PDT by kattracks
A Hamas honcho who lived by the rocket died by the rocket yesterday when the Israelis bombed the donkey cart he was driving in the Gaza Strip.Hamdi Kalakh was killed hours after militants in Gaza fired four crude missiles that fell harmlessly into Israel - including one that made it for the first time to the outskirts of a big Israeli city, Ashkelon.
Calling that attack an "escalation of the terrorist activity of Hamas," Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered soldiers into Gaza for the first time since July to search the area from which the rockets were fired — then return to their base.
Kalakh, 23, is the eighth Hamas member the Israelis have killed to avenge the 21 Jews killed last week by a suicide bomber on a Jerusalem bus.
"Hamdi Kalakh was a Hamas terrorist and an explosives expert" who masterminded most of the recent Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, an Army spokesman said. Kalakh was "eliminated" before he could launch an attack on the Jewish settlement of Gush Khatif, the spokesman said.
Troops in an Israeli helicopter spotted Kalakh driving his cart through the nearby town of Khan Yunis and opened fire. Three bystanders were wounded, including a 4-year-old boy.
After the chopper flew off, paramedics placed Kalakh's body parts in a white sheet while the donkey lay dead beside the smashed cart.
Two days earlier, the Israelis had tried and failed to nail Hamas' chief rocket maker, Khaled Masoud.
Yesterday's violence came hours after Israel offered rare praise to the Palestinian Authority for freezing 39 bank accounts belonging to nine Islamic charities suspected of funding Hamas terrorism.
Fearful of antagonizing Hamas, which has broad support in Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas quietly cut off the funding Sunday.
Poor Palestinians discovered what Abbas had done when they tried to collect their charity money — and found the till empty.
"The families went to the banks to receive their monthly assistance, but they were told the accounts are blocked," said Amir Abu Al-Amrain, general director of the Al Mujamma Al Islami charity.
Josh Block of the influential pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC said he hoped Abbas' move was "the beginning of a real and sustained effort" to dismantle terror groups.
Last week, President Bush asked the European Union and Arab leaders to freeze the funds of Hamas charities, something that has not been done.
Originally published on August 29, 2003
I could be cruel and wonder how they could tell the difference.
My thoughts exactly!
"Donkey cart, Sir? That's not on my radar, Sir!"
The intelligence that the Israelies have to find this guy and his donkey cart is amazing.
My thought exactly. What's going on there behind the scenes? Must be fascinating, from a purely tactical point of view. From a humanitarian point of view (Israel civilians being massacred and Palestinian civilians held hostage by thugs, goons, mass murderers and donkeys) is a tragedy. But Israel is fighting back. And the methods they are using are very interesting. The phrase "pin-point accuracy" comes to mind.
Oh Oh, PETA is going to be p*ssed. Expect a delegation to Israel to protest.
You really have to hand it to the guy, he probably thought, "Anywhere I go,I'm safe in this donkey cart," and then "Wham"!!! I wonder what size bomb they dropped on him from that helicopter."Hey man nice shot".
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