• April.24. 2006 Hamas rejects bin Laden message

(Aljazeera) Hamas and a Sudanese rebel group have distanced themselves from a statement from Osama bin Laden condemning the West for its actions in both countries.
 

In an audiotape message broadcast by Aljazeera on Sunday, the al-Qaeda leader said the decision by Western governments to halt aid to the Hamas-led government and impose other sanctions proved the West was in a "crusader war" with Islam.

Commenting on bin Laden's message shortly afterwards, Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said the group's ideology was "totally different" from that of bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

"What Osama bin Laden said is his opinion, but Hamas has its own positions which are different to the ones expressed by bin Laden," he said.

However, he said that what he called the "international siege on the Palestinian people" would inevitably lead to tensions in the Arab and Islamic world.

"It's natural that this tension is going to create an impression that there is a Western-Israeli alliance working against the Palestinians"

"It's natural that this tension is going to create an impression that there is a Western-Israeli alliance working against the Palestinians," Abu Zuhri said.

He added that Hamas was "very keen to have good relations with the West" but said that Western policies were inflaming tensions.

In the past, Hamas leaders have distanced themselves from al-Qaeda, saying their struggle is only against the Israeli occupation and does not fit into the group's worldwide radical Islamist effort.

Bin Laden also called "upon the mujahidin and their supporters in Sudan and its surroundings - including the Arabian Peninsula - to prepare to lead a prolonged war against the "crusader robbers in western Sudan".

Ahmed Hussein, from the Justice and Equality Movement, a Sudanese rebel group, said: "We categorically reject these declarations.

"His words are completely disconnected from the reality in Darfur. Bin Laden is still preaching the theory of an American-Zionist conspiracy when the real problem comes from Khartoum, which is a Muslim government killing other Muslims."

He warned that such comments risked "encouraging the Khartoum regime to perpetuate injustice and its strategy against Darfur".

Palestinian gunman killed after firing at troops near Gaza border

(Haaretz) An Palestinian gunman was killed Monday morning after he opened fire on IDF soldiers along the Gaza-Israel border, the third Palestinian militant killed by Israeli forces in two days.

The incident came amid a steep increase in the number of alerts for attacks planned by Fatah cells. Military sources said Sunday that it appeared that, for the first time, the number of Fatah-linked alerts is equal to, or even greater than, the number of alerts pertaining to planned operations by the Isdlamic Jihad.

There were no IDF casualties in the Monday clash, in which IDF troops returned the gunman's fire with small arms and tank fire.

"A Palestinian gunman opened fire along the Gaza border. Soldiers arrived at the scene and exchanged fire with him. We identified a hit," an army spokeswoman said.

On Sunday, two members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades were killed Sunday by Israeli troops in Bethlehem.

Palestinian sources initially said the two killed in Bethlehem were members of the security forces but they later confirmed the army's account that they were militants.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday canceled anti-Hamas shows of force planned by Fatah's Al-Aqsa wing and Palestinian security personnel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Security forces and armed operatives had planned military parades but acceded to Abbas' request to drop the show in order not to worsen conflicts between the rival organizations. One parade was held in Jenin, which is much quieter than Gaza, where the tensions of rivalry are much worse.

Hamas and Fatah on Sunday published a joint announcement of plans to calm things down.

However, just hours later, Hamas gunmen, backed by police, came to the rescue of the new Hamas health minister after angry, armed raiders pushed into the minister's Gaza office and sparked a shootout that left three people wounded.

The shootout was the latest explosion of violence in the Strip and marked the first time a Hamas minister turned to his side's gunmen to restore order. It also underscored Palestinians' growing dissatisfaction with the crippling financial crisis faced by the Hamas government.

Hamas Health Minister Bassem Naim announced on Saturday that he was cutting $2 million from the monthly health budget to help alleviate the financial crisis by halting payments for patients to get treatment abroad. Gaza's health-care system is poor, and Palestinians routinely travel to Israel and other countries for complicated procedures.

A group of men, some of them armed, whose relative needs treatment abroad came to Naim's office Sunday and asked him to authorize the trip, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Radi said.

Naim's bodyguards called for backup from Hamas, and the two groups engaged in a brief shootout, witnesses and Palestinian security forces said. After a 45-minute standoff, police and Hamas militants retook the building, arresting four of the gunmen. Naim left surrounded by 10 Hamas militants.

Two Fighters Extra-Judicially Executed in Bethlehem and A Third by Artillery's Cannon in G. Strip

(IPC+ Agencies) - -An Israeli occupation special force, soldiers disguised by Palestinian uniform, backed by soldiers extra-judicially executed Sunday two fighters of Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade, Fateh's militant wing; Ahmad Musleh ,27, from Al Duheisha refugee camp and Dennial Abu Hamama,23, from Bethlehem city as the third Arafat Abu SHaera,25, was critically wounded from Al Azza refugee camp

Witnesses accounted that the soldiers disguisers opened heavy fire towards a yellow Hyundai car traveling close to the mental diseases hospital in Al Jabal Street resulted in the killing of Musleh in the scene and wounding Abu Hamama and Abu Shaeer. Later the IOF spokesperson announced the death of Abu Hamama once he arrived Israeli Hadassa hospital.

Locals were in the scene said that the car carrying the three fighters was liable to a barrage of gunshots fired by the Israeli special unit, minutes after a large contingent came to the scene and totally closed Al Jabal street and started shooting everywhere.

Witnesses reported that the Israeli soldiers get off the killed fighter Musleh and the critically wounded Abu Hamama and dragged them along tens meters of the street soaked in blood and arrested the two wounded Abu Hamama and Abu Shaera.

Following the pullback of the Israeli troops, hundreds of the resident flocked into the scene and shouted anti-occupation slogans and his odious crimes while the Paramedics of the Palestinian Red Crescent Association evacuated the Musleh's body to Beit Jala hospital.

Later, the Israeli sources announced that critically wounded Abu Hamama succumbed to his wounds in Hasda Hospital.

In Gaza Strip, the medical sources said that Abed Al Wahab Sameer Abu Ereiban, 19, was killed today morning by the IOF artilleries firing, east Al Burijj refugee camp.

Mu'wia Hussnein, Director General of The Emergency Award of Health Ministry said that Abu Ereiban was killed in Juhr Al Deek area, east of the refugee camp due to being liable to firing and shrapnel of cannon allover the body particular his head.

Today morning, Israeli occupation forces arrested 10 residents from Tulkarem, Nablus and wounded a Palestinian security personnel working for Palestinian general intelligence services at Ebyia military checkpoint of Nabalus when the soldier fire a stun grenade towards him while cutting through the checkpoint.