Hamas member assassinated in Qalqilya

Masked assailants fire at Mohammed Odeh's car in village of Hableh; witnesses report assassins arrived in car with Israeli license plate. IDF: We have no knowledge of activity in area

Ali Waked|Published: 10.04.06 , 08:17

Assassination ordered by Israel or continuation of violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas, threatening to turn into civil war? This was the question raised by Palestinians in the Qalqilya area Wednesday morning following the killing of a Hamas member as he left a mosque.

Mohammed Odeh, 37, a political activist in Hamas' "Change and Reform" list, was shot from close range as he finished praying in the village of Hableh.

According to eyewitnesses, three masked men approached his car and opened fire. According to the report, they arrived in a car carrying an Israeli license plate.

Odeh, a Hamas activist on the local level at the Qalqilya area, suffered a direct hit. He was rushed to hospital, where he died of his wounds.

Palestinians sources told Ynet that the assassination was an operation of an elite Israel Defense Forces unit, and was carried out by Israeli soldiers disguised as Arabs. Military sources, however, said that they had no knowledge of any activity carried out in the area Wednesday morning, but added that "we are looking into the report."

In recent days, clashes erupted between Hamas and Fatah members across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, during which at least 12 activists from both sides were killed and more than 100 were injured.

Shots fired at al-Zahar's home

On Tuesday, Fatah activists issued a statement in which they threatened to assassinate senior Hamas members, including Khaled Mashaal, Interior Minister Siad Siam and Yousef al-Zahar, commander of Hamas' special security force.

Over the night, exchanges of fire took place in various places between members of Hamas' special security force and Palestinian security officers, mainly those who are part of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service.

Gunmen set fire to the offices of a charity association affiliated with Hamas in the Salfit area, and shots were fired at Hamas offices, businesses, and the home of Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar. Vehicles belonging to Hamas activists in Qalqilya were burned.

There were no injuries in all the incidents, but Palestinians fear that the situation will deteriorate and turn into an overall civil war.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to arrive in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to brief her on the spreading chaos and on his expectations to receive support from the American government.

Meanwhile, following the clashes and the recent incidents, the Hamas movement cancelled a planned reconciliation meeting between the parties.