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Hamas Fumes: Israel ‘Opened the Gates of Hell’ After Killing Top Chief During Anti-Militant Airstrikes

Nov. 14, 2012 11:09am Billy Hallowell

TheBlaze’s Sharona Schwartz contributed to this report.

Israel Assassinates Top Hamas Commander in Airstrike | Ahmed Jabari

Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire from the car of Ahmaed Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 14, 2012. The top Hamas commander Ahmed al-Jaabari was killed in an Israeli air strike , medics and a Hamas source told. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Palestinian witnesses say Israeli airstrikes have hit a series of targets across Gaza City, shortly after the assassination of the top Hamas commander. According to the Israeli military, the targeted killing of Ahmed Jabari is part of a reboot of the nation’s policy of assassinating Palestinian militant leaders.

Military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovitch confirmed that the attack is the “start of a broader operation.” The event is significant, as Jabari is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza took place four years ago. For quite some time, the militant leader has been on Israel’s most-wanted list, as he was blamed for numerous past attacks.

Fifty-two-year-old Jaabari previously spent 13 years in Israeli jail for terrorist activity. As head of Hamas’ military wing, all regional Hamas commanders in Gaza answered to him. He was a key player involved in the negotiations over the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was held in Gaza for five years and appeared next to Shalit on the day he was released and transferred to Egyptian, and later Israeli hands.

Responding to the airstrikes, Hamas put out a statement claiming that the assassination ”has opened the gates of hell” (watch video of the killing).

People look at a wreckage of the car in which was killed Ahmed Jabari, head of the Hamas military wing in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. The Israeli military said its assassination of the Hamas military commander marks the beginning of an operation against Gaza militants. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Witnesses said Jabari was traveling in a vehicle in Gaza City when the car exploded. Crowds of people and security personnel rushed to the scene of the strike, trying to put out the fire that had engulfed the car and left it a charred shell.

Hamas police cordoned off the area around a hospital where at least one body from the strike was taken. It was draped in a white sheet, with a burned leg poking out. Hamas said another man was killed in the airstrike. Schools in southern Israel and Gaza will remain closed on Thursday, as violence continues.

Gaza sources tell Arab Affairs Analyst Ehud Yaari reports that Jaabari’s colleagues had been warning him in recent days to lay low due to the expectation Israel was planning to renew its policy of “targeted killings.”

Israel Channel 2 Correspondent Udi Segal said his sources told him that earlier in the day, Likud Minister Benny Begin was sent on an interview with Israel Radio to report that this week’s violent exchange between Gaza and Israel had ended. This, the sources said, was an intentional ploy to lull Hamas to drop its guard, which apparently worked.

Hamas security officials say two Hamas training facilities were among the targets in the Wednesday afternoon bombings. Plumes of smoke are rising in the air, and people are running in panic through the streets as militants angrily fire their weapons in the air.

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The Israeli mission is said to be a response that was launched after days of heavy rocket fire from Gaza. Interior Minister Eli Yishai told Israel Channel 2 that more than 100 rockets had been launched into Israel this week and that the nation had lost its ability to prevent them from entering. This operations is clearly a reaction to that fact — one that has been given no definitive timeframe, although one Israel Radio correspondent claims it could last between a few days and one week.

Israel Assassinates Top Hamas Commander in Airstrike | Ahmed Jabari

On Wednesday afternoon, IDF’s official spokespeople took to Twitter, where a dire warning was issued to Hamas: “We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.”

As for the Jabari killing, military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity under army regulations, said he was identified by “precise intelligence” gathered over several months.

A file picture dated on October 18, 2011 shows Ahmed Jaabari at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Advocates say targeted killings are an effective deterrent without the complications associated with a ground operation, chiefly civilian and Israeli troop casualties. Proponents argue they also prevent future attacks by removing their masterminds.

Critics say they invite retaliation by militants and encourage them to try to assassinate Israeli leaders. They complain that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.

During a wave of suicide bombings against Israel a decade ago, the country employed the tactic to eliminate the upper echelon of Hamas leadership.

Israeli aircraft have previously assassinated the previous commander of Hamas’ military wing, Salah Shehadeh, the movement’s spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, and dozens of other senior Hamas military commanders.

The practice set off a continuous wave of criticism from rights groups and foreign governments, particularly the strike that killed Shehadeh — a one-ton bomb that killed 14 other people, most of them children.

Israel has said that it is willing, if needed, to use ground troops to stop violence coming from Gaza. Bloomberg has more:

Israel carried out a series of air strikes in the Gaza Strip today, killing the leader of Hamas’s militant wing, and said it was ready to use ground troops if needed to end attacks on its citizens.

The Israeli army said it called up reserves in advance of any possible infantry assault. It said it targeted Ahmed al- Jabari in a “surgical strike” and identified him as a “senior Hamas operative who served in the upper echelon of the Hamas command and was directly responsible for executing terror attacks,” according to an e-mailed statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who directed Israel’s 2008 ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, yesterday said he was considering new measures to stop increased missile attacks from the Hamas-ruled territory. The violence sent oil prices higher.

Israel Channel 2 has also reported that incoming rockets were potentially fired toward the area of Beer Sheba (sirens were heard there as well). The IDF Twitter account reports, “Initial reports indicate that the Iron Dome has intercepted a number of rockets above a major Israeli city.”

This story has been updated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Comments (156)

Arshloch
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 1:26pm
Since the fondest wish of these animals is to die, then oblige them. Once they have been removed, clean out the rest and be done with it.

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Country_of_Arizona
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 4:16am
We wonder why and how B_HO got re-elected, I am, by no means, not a Biblical scholar. So most of what I got (about this topic) comes from the books by Joel Rosenberg. I believe it was in the one titled Twelfth Imam, where he talks of the 12th Imam rising from mass chaos in the middle-east, the anti-Christ who rules for seven (7) years. The anti-Christ is commonly referred to as “a sheep in Wolf’s clothing”, so in other words he gives freely to the less educated, fortunate and the pure lazy cheats. He gets them under his will and away from GOD’s will; by the time it’s discovered he’s not what he claims millions of souls are lost and the battle of the fake Imam and the anti-Christ nearly destroys the planet. That’s the day darkness gives way to light and HE returns.
B_HO is going into his 5th year

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longbow719
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 1:58am
Newly poor in life? Yes! Newly rich in goats? YES!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Goats!

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universalphilos
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 1:05am
Unholy alliance?
History repeats itself, yet, unfolds as events become more frequent and intense. Here is a prophecy, January 13, 1984: “There are now two sources which advocate war with the Soviet Union and war with the Chinese Republic. Both of these, each believing that when the war ends, that they may step in and make the world a better place to live in, according to themselves, would think nothing of taking the lives of millions. The first is those of the Palestinian, or “Black September” − and these are not of just of one people, but they are made up of the Arabian block; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, are but some among the pact. You shall find them ten nations in all.”
[The Revelation, chapter 17, prophesies about ten nations. 'For they have but a single purpose among them, and will confer their power and authority upon the beast. They will wage war upon the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them...."]

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The Bagginator
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 8:05pm
They opened the gates of Hell, turned Jabari into a fine red mist and sprayed him through them.

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Advection
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:44pm
Hamas told the truth. The gates of Hell opened…to receive their leader.

Israel has been very reserved in past years, absorbing thousands of mortars and missiles from these terrorists. It’s about time they returned fire in a decisive attack.

Now the question is, how long before US Democrat politicians sail more ships loaded with weapons to Gaza?

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JRCancio
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:37pm
Secret intelligence information just released on how to spot Hamas leaders and terrorist; after the United States of America provided them monies in foreign aid to start up their new governments – they [Hamas and the terrorist] are the only ones in the terrorist territories driving brand new expensive late model luxury high performance foreign made automobilies. Purchasing new cars and modern military equipment with the American money and not one penny spent on helping the poor Arab/Muslim peoples of Gaza or Palestine that need it nor in establishing an effective governing body to represent and assist the Arab/Muslim people in the area.

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JRCancio
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:29pm
So what was accomplished today by Israel – nothing of any value or merit – their Israeli leaders and commanders are acting like cowards and cowards with no testicles; today they only took out one Hamas leader and a few other men and two training camps; tomorrow Hamas will appoint another militant leader and the dead men in the training camps will only be replaced by other and new recruits and the cycle continues. My policy would be you – Hamas – the terrorist of Palestine – send one attack, in any form, into my nation, I will respond and terminate 100,000 of your people and supporters and start the leveling of your cities. Pretty soon Hamas will no longer have leaders and supporters (terrorist) to draw upon as there will be no one left alive to draw upon and the Hamas training camps will be easier to spot in the future. Where is a ‘good’ Russian General when you need one. Sixty-six years of putting up with Arab/Muslim terrorist and no end in sight.

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Mary G
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:28pm
“Yesterday our Prime Minister called all the foreign ambassadors in Israel to a meeting at which he explained the situation in the south to them, expressing his anger at the world’s silence when for 13 straight years over a million Israeli civilians have been regularly targeted by missiles fired from across the border in the south. He talked about the homes and schools and kindergartens which have been hit. And just in case they didn’t understand what he was talking about, he had also invited to the meeting several school children from the south, who told their own stories. Bibi told the foreign diplomatic corp that no other nation in the world would put up with these conditions, and neither would Israel.

And I would remind everything that Israel COMPLETELY pulled all its military forces and civilians out of Gaza in 2005. So what is the reason why, 7 years later, Hamas continues to attack Israeli civilians and call for the death of Jews around the world? . . . It is now after midnight. Missiles have been falling on southern Israel for 8 hours, with no end in sight. In one hour this evening the city of Beersheva got hit by 20 Grad rockets. More disturbing, rockets have also been fired from Sinai, which is Egyptian territory.” – Ann Hansen

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- Beachmastermax
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 8:41pm
  Declare War. Start the cleansing process until you get unconditional surrender. Historically, this is the way all conflicts are finalized. There has to be a victor. Why does Israel think there is another way?
  
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- smv803
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:22am
  We pray for you, That you should live to see another light of day. G-D bless Israel and its people. There are more that stand with you here in the US than you think.
  
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KIOTI-TEXAS
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:20pm
Great JOB Israel , one down and a Thousand to go…

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January24
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:14pm
The Bible is the only book which contains prophecy which is accurate one hundred percent of the time.

The Bible is very clear that it was God who brought the Jewish people back to the Land which He gave to them so very long ago.

The Bible also makes it very clear that from now on, God will intervene to protect Israel when she is attacked by her enemies. (For detailed information on this, see Joel Rosenberg’s blog.)

When Jesus returns again to earth, the Jewish people will still be in control of Jerusalem — though they will be on the receiving end of a massive military assault which Jesus will put a stop to immediately. For details of His second coming and the assault on Jerusalem which He will stop, see the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah. It is clear as a bell.

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Moozmom
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:47pm
Pray for our leaders, please. WWIII

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Margyt
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:14pm
There will be an Archduke Ferdinand moment, a “shot heard round the world” in this thing. This could be it. It all depends on how ready the Arab Spring organizers are to make their strike.

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Babysmooth44
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:08pm
Maybe Bam could implement this technique as one of his green job initiatives. Do you even know how much H2O we could save instead water boarding?

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Dboxman7
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:05pm
I remember when the American government and a majority of the people had the balls to stand up to our enemies and respond to their ultimatums without fear. I miss those times. Thank you, Israel, for keeping that principled pride alive while it is the minority attitude here in the US.

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- January24
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 7:18pm
  It is indeed sad that the Obama Administration has clearly abandoned Israel. But the Bible indicates that God has His purpose in that. God will allow Israel to be isolated — standing alone so that when God intervenes to preserve Israel when she is under attack, it will be clear to both the Israelis and the rest of the world that it is God (and God alone) who is the Protector of Israel.
  
  For more information, see Joel Rosenberg’s blog. For a detailed account of the second coming of Jesus, see the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah in the Old Testament.
  
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- smv803
  Posted on November 15, 2012 at 11:26am
  @January. It will take a miracle, as you say, to awaken the world. God will protect Israel at all cost-the non-believers will finally have their eyes opened.
  
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gingerbread
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:52pm
Another one bites the dust. It’s too bad that Isrel doesn’t just go in to GAZA and turn that place into a burning pyre. Make it so unlivable that not even the dogs will want to live there.

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