Gaza: 4 killed in car blast

VIDEO - The Israel Air Force on Saturday evening assassinated a senior member of the Islamic Jihad's military wing Muhammad Dahdouh, an expert in producing al-Quds rockets. A Palestinian woman, Hanan Aman, her 4-year-old son Mohanad and his grandmother Naima Aman were also killed in the blast. Three people were wounded, including the child's sister.  

Scene of assassination (Video: Reuters)

Talking to Ynet, military sources confirmed that the IAF fired at a car in Gaza. Palestinian sources reported that the blast occurred near the home of Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar.

According to the IDF, the fire was targeted at a senior Islamic Jihad member who was involved in firing Qassam rockets at Israel and in other terror activities.

IDF officials said that Dahdouh was involved in the preparation of Grad rockets, the Katyusha rockets fired at Israel recently. The last Katyusha was fired last week, landing near a chicken coop in the southern community of Nativ Haasara.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz recently instructed the army to focus its efforts in operations against Islamic Jihad members and operate against the Grad threat.

Defense establishment officials estimated that the terror organizations currently hold 10 to 20 similar rockets. Some of them are apparently improvised, but definitely hold a higher risk than Qassams in terms of range and the amount of explosives.

Palestinians gather near attacked car (Photo: AFP)

Islamic Jihad officials said that Dahdouh was one of the organization's prominent leaders and an expert in producing the organization's al-Quds rockets. Dahdouh was the person responsible for issuing statements on behalf of the organization, in which it cleamed responsibility for launching rockets and responded to IDF assassinations.

A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, declared that "the revenge for the killing of Muhammad Dahdouh will come soon and will be painful."

Muhammad Dahdhouh is the brother of Khaled Dahdouh, who was killed several months ago by an explosive device planted in his car by Israeli security forces.

Intelligence chief seriously injured in assassination attempt

The incident took place several hours after Palestinian General Intelligence Chief was seriously wounded in a blast at his Gaza headquarters, apparently in an assassination attempt. He was taken to the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where doctors are fighting for his life.

Abu Rajab is suffering from wounds all over his body, particularly in the limbs, stomach and chest, and is being anesthetized and ventilated.

Tawfik Tirawi, the Palestinian intelligence chief in the West Bank, said that "Palestinian elements are trying to infiltrate into the Palestinian security organizations and assassinate their commanders."

In a press conference in Ramallah, Tirawi said that the intelligence organization was breached by the elements and added that the responsibility for the security deterioration in the Palestinian Authority lies upon the inciters in the mosques and squares.

"They are the ones creating the security anarchy in the PA," he said.

Tirawi added that Abu Rajab had escaped an assassination attempt by a Hamas group in the past.

"We asked then that the Hamas group be arrested. This has still not happened and we are postponing it until the right moment," he said.

He expressed his surprise over the Interior Ministry's declaration that it was looking into a possibility that a "malfunction" caused Abu Rajab's injury.

"The spokesman had no information before saying this nonsense. The minister should punish the spokesman and arrest those responsible for the assassination attempt," he charged.

The Hamas-led Palestinian government, however, expressed its regret over the incident.

The government spokesman said: "We express our deep regret and wish Abu Rajab and the wounded a speedy recovery, and express our condolences to the family of the person killed."

"Prime Minister (Ismail) Haniyeh is following the developments of the investigation along with the interior minister. The government is interested in a speedy investigation of the incident in order to be familiar with its circumstances. We must not hurry to cast accusations, as these accusations may raise the tension on the Palestinian street," the spokesman added.  

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently in Egypt for the World Economic Forum, said in response to the assassination attempt: "This is a highly worrying and annoying incident. This incident constitutes a grave threat and danger to the Palestinian Authority."

Abbas added that he issued on official order to set up a commission of inquiry into the circumstances of the blast.

On Friday, Abbas expressed his deep concern over the deterioration of the situation in the PA territories. In a meeting held in Jordan with Knesset Member Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta'al), Abbas said that the Palestinian blood was a sacred thing that must not be hurt.

According to El-Sana, however, Abbas expressed his fear that things would develop into an internal war and said that he does not oppose the special force established by the Hamas government, under the condition that the force operates as part of the existing security establishment.

Efart Weiss, Tova Dadon and Vered Luvitch contributed to the report