Children Killing Shocks Palestinians
— The killing of three young children of a senior Palestinian intelligence officer by gunmen on Monday, December 11, shocked the Palestinian people and drew immediate condemnations from President Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling Hamas.
The three children - Salam, 6, Osama, 7, and Ahmed, 8 – were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire at their father's car near a school in the Rimal district of Gaza City.
"Masked gunmen took off in a yellow car after they fired many bullets at the car. Children were screaming and weeping in fear," a primary school boy who witnessed the attack told Reuters.
The children's driver, Mahmud al-Habil, 25, was also killed in the attack while four other children were wounded.
Blood-splattered schoolbags, books and a sandwich bag could be seen laying on the backseat of the car after the attack.
Some reports suggested the children were killed in exchange of fire between the gunmen and policemen of the executive force formed by the interior ministry.
Residents said the gunmen drove away after the attack, being chased by policemen of the Palestinian executive force.
The boys' father, Baha Ballusha, is a senior intelligence officer and an aide to Abbas. He was not in the car which was riddled by dozens of bullets.
Baalusha escaped an assassination attempt last September when unknown gunmen ambushed his car in Gaza.
"The killers knew Baha was not in the car because he never drove his children to school. They couldn't get to him to kill him, so they killed his children instead," said a senior intelligence official.
He said it was not yet clear who was behind the attack.
Clan fighting and a surge in criminal violence have been plaguing Gaza since the West suspended aid to the Palestinians after the Hamas-led government came to office in March.
Atrocious
Monday's killing drew condemnation from the Palestinian Presidency and the ruling Hamas, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Abbas said the attack was "an atrocious crime committed by scum who killed the children of our people.
He told reporters he has demanded the interior minister to arrest the assailants as quickly as possible.
A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, also condemned the killings as being the work of "the enemies of the Palestinian people."
Following the attack, mourners firing automatic weapons stormed into the compound of the parliament in Gaza.
Witnesses said the mourners fired at the building. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.
Monday's attack came a day after unidentified gunmen opened fire on the convoy of Interior Minister Said Siam in Gaza City. No one was wounded in that attack.
The killing also came against rising tensions between Fatah and Hamas over failure to agree on forming a national unity government.
Abbas announced on Saturday, December 9, that he intended to call early parliamentary and presidential elections to resolve a spiraling political crisis between the two rival groups.
Hamas, which won a landslide victory in January legislative polls and had expected to hold power until the end of 2010, has slammed the move as a coup against democracy.
The Palestinian basic law does not address the issue of early elections and Hamas has said the absence of such a provision prohibits them being called.
Agencies
"Masked gunmen took off in a yellow car after they fired many bullets at the car. Children were screaming and weeping in fear," a primary school boy who witnessed the attack told Reuters.
The children's driver, Mahmud al-Habil, 25, was also killed in the attack while four other children were wounded.
Blood-splattered schoolbags, books and a sandwich bag could be seen laying on the backseat of the car after the attack.
Some reports suggested the children were killed in exchange of fire between the gunmen and policemen of the executive force formed by the interior ministry.
Residents said the gunmen drove away after the attack, being chased by policemen of the Palestinian executive force.
The boys' father, Baha Ballusha, is a senior intelligence officer and an aide to Abbas. He was not in the car which was riddled by dozens of bullets.
Baalusha escaped an assassination attempt last September when unknown gunmen ambushed his car in Gaza.
"The killers knew Baha was not in the car because he never drove his children to school. They couldn't get to him to kill him, so they killed his children instead," said a senior intelligence official.
He said it was not yet clear who was behind the attack.
Clan fighting and a surge in criminal violence have been plaguing Gaza since the West suspended aid to the Palestinians after the Hamas-led government came to office in March.
Atrocious
Monday's killing drew condemnation from the Palestinian Presidency and the ruling Hamas, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Abbas said the attack was "an atrocious crime committed by scum who killed the children of our people.
He told reporters he has demanded the interior minister to arrest the assailants as quickly as possible.
A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, also condemned the killings as being the work of "the enemies of the Palestinian people."
Following the attack, mourners firing automatic weapons stormed into the compound of the parliament in Gaza.
Witnesses said the mourners fired at the building. It was unclear if anyone was hurt.
Monday's attack came a day after unidentified gunmen opened fire on the convoy of Interior Minister Said Siam in Gaza City. No one was wounded in that attack.
The killing also came against rising tensions between Fatah and Hamas over failure to agree on forming a national unity government.
Abbas announced on Saturday, December 9, that he intended to call early parliamentary and presidential elections to resolve a spiraling political crisis between the two rival groups.
Hamas, which won a landslide victory in January legislative polls and had expected to hold power until the end of 2010, has slammed the move as a coup against democracy.
The Palestinian basic law does not address the issue of early elections and Hamas has said the absence of such a provision prohibits them being called.
Agencies
