Israel Says Hamas Leader Yassin 'Marked for Death'
Jan 16, 3:12 PM (ET)
By Jeffrey Heller and Nidal al-Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) - Israel has "marked for death" Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, following a suicide bombing that killed four Israeli security personnel in Gaza, Israel's deputy defense chief said on Friday.
The wheelchair-bound Muslim cleric attended Friday prayers at a mosque near his Gaza City home and told reporters he would embrace "martyrdom." A Palestinian cabinet minister said Israel was playing with fire by making the threat.
It was unclear whether the Jewish state had made a final decision to kill the Hamas spiritual leader. Israel made a botched attempt on Yassin's life last September.
Thousands of Palestinians rallied on Friday night in support of Yassin in Gaza City and the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza strip.
Among the protesters were dozens of masked Hamas members who waved green flags as spokesmen announced through loudspeakers that the militant group would fight on even if Israel killed its leaders.
"Israel will pay a heavy price for any attempt to harm the Sheikh and the (Hamas) political leadership," a statement released on Friday by Hamas' armed wing said.
Hamas, an Islamic group dedicated to Israel's destruction, claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing by a Palestinian mother of two on the Gaza-Israel border. It killed three soldiers and a security officer, further undermining chances of reviving a U.S.-backed peace plan.
"He is marked for death and he had better dig deep underground, where he won't be able to tell the difference between day and night," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said of Yassin. "We will find him in his tunnels and liquidate him," he told Army Radio...
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