Israeli Border Police Kill Four Arab Terrorists

Israeli border police team killed four wanted Arab terrorists in Bethlehem, three of whom belonged to Islamic Jihad and one member of Fatah. The most senior figure among those assassinated was Islamic Jihad member Mohammed Shahade, who was wanted by Israel’s security forces for the past eight years. The four were said to be responsible for a series of suicide bombings carried out in Jerusalem .

Muhammad Shahade and the Islamic Jihad in Bethlehem were in direct contact with the Islamic Jihad leadership in Syria from which they received operational orders,” according to the IDF spokesman. In this case, “leadership in Syria” means Iran.

Shahade was apparently so close to Hizbullah that he was buried today wrapped in a Hizbullah flag, according to the first news reports from the funeral.

The Islamic Jihad terror group announced its intention of exacting revenge, and took

responsibility for the twenty eight missile attacks which were fired

at Sderot. on Thursday.- an average of more than one an hour.

Israel’s lack of response to the missile attacks has to do with the successful

tactic used by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as both terror groups have thoroughly embedded their fighters in the Gaza civilian population, using the local population as human shields.

“Hamas has mastered the ability to transform from a military into an

irregular force within minutes,” an Israeli military source said. “Hamas fighters can

literally take off their uniforms and fight from behind women and children.”

This Hamas combat method was used during Israel’s incursion in Northern

Gaza in early March

.

Most of Hamas terror cadres fired at the approaching Israeli forces from homes in

the UNRWA Palestinian Arab refugee camp in Jabalya.

Each of these UNRWA homes contained weapons caches.

“Hamas had, in effect, converted parts of the UN camp into an armed

military zone while maintaining the civilian cover,” said an Israeli officer who fought

in Jabalya said. “This was similar to what Hizbullah did in the war in 2006.”

In all, The Middle East Newsline confirmed that the Hamas employed about 2,000 combatants against the Israeli forces. However, only 150 or so of the combatants actually fought in Jabalya. The rest were waiting in homes for Israeli troops to enter.

Israel Government Ministers Rebel

Senior Security cabinet ministers of the Israeli government

believe that Israel is in effect conducting negotiations with

Hamas and that the government’s actions in the past few days are

contrary to last week’s security cabinet decision.

“It is unthinkable that the security cabinet should decide to

intensify the operation in Gaza and to reach an accommodation from a

position of strength, and that in practice, the opposite should take

place,” one minister said. “The IDF operated in Gaza for two days and

withdrew,” another minister said. “Then Hamas continued to fire on

Ashkelon.

On Wednesday, Olmert visited Ashkelon and immediately afterwards

Hamas fired a Kassam rocket at the town.

During his tour of the city, Olmert also visited the 8-year Yossi

Haimov, who was severely injured in the shoulder by a Kassam rocket

attack on Sderot about two weeks ago, and has been hospitalized in

Barzilai Hospital since. Afterwards, he paid a condolence visit to the

home of Gila and Guy Banai, who are in the week of mourning for their

son, the late Givati soldier Staff Sgt. Liran Gabai, who was killed in a

bomb explosion on the Gaza border.

©The Bulletin 2008