Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
February 16, 2008

Explosion Kills Top Palestinian Militant, 7 Others in Gaza
----------------------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B444DC:A6F02AD83191E1606E44D6CB72366792B3350E090FE6A6E8& Islamic Jihad
spokesman Abu Ahmed promised retaliation for what he called a massacre
A top Palestinian militant and seven other people have been killed in
an explosion in the Gaza Strip. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's
Jerusalem bureau, the cause of the blast is unclear.







Palestinians inspect the rubble of the house of Islamic Jihad activist
Ayman al-Fayed after it was destroyed in an explosion in Buriej,
central Gaza Strip, 16 Feb. 2008A crowd sifted through the rubble of a
home in the Bureij refugee camp near Gaza City that was flattened by a
massive explosion. Palestinian officials say the attack killed senior
Islamic Jihad commander Ayman al-Fayed, his wife and two young
children and four other militants.

Islamic Jihad said the blast was caused by an Israeli air strike.

Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed promised retaliation for what he
called a massacre. He said the Palestinian people would strike at the
Israeli enemy everywhere.

While Israel has vowed to target the leadership of militant groups in
response to daily rocket attacks from Gaza, the Israeli army says it
was not involved in the incident. Witnesses saw rocket parts at the
scene, indicating that explosives in the house might have blown up by
accident.

Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel in response to the
killing and vowed that there is more to come. Israel is threatening to
launch a large-scaled ground offensive in Gaza if the rocket attacks
continue.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


.