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Palestinians inspecting the rubble of a senior Islamic Jihad militant's Gaza home after an explosion left him and six others dead Friday. (Reuters)
Last update - 10:11 16/02/2008
Top Islamic Jihad militant, seven others killed in Gaza blast
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Islamic Jihad 

A powerful blast went off in the central Gaza Strip home of a senior Islamic Jihad militant Friday, killing him and at least seven others and wounding 40, Palestinian sources said.

Witnesses said the three-story home of Ayman Atallah Fayed had completely collapsed, and that six nearby homes were also badly damaged.

Among the dead were Fayed's wife, three of his sons and three neighbors, said Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, a Health Ministry official. At least 40 people were wounded, 12 of them critically, including one of Fayed's daughters.
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The blast went off Friday evening in Fayed's house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The explosion badly damaged the home and a nearby metal workshop.

Islamic Jihad said Israel targeted the house in an air strike, but Hamas police said the cause of the blast was not clear and the Israel Defense Forces denied an attack had taken place.

Witnesses reported seeing fragments of what looked like Qassam rockets at the scene, suggesting the house may have been used to store arms.

Fayed was a senior member of the Islamic Jihad military wing, and the group confirmed he was among the dead, vowing to carry out reprisal attacks against Israel.

"We will respond to this Zionist massacre painfully," Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad said. "We will strike the enemy everywhere."

A senior Islamic Jihad leader, Khaled al-Batsh, also said Israel was behind the bombing of the house and linked it to the car bombing in Damascus this week that killed top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyah.

"This escalation by Israel will not bring security to the settlers, it will not bring security to Zionists anywhere," Batsh told Reuters.

"We will not meet the escalation against us with roses but with more resistance and jihad," he said.

Referring to the killing of Mughniyah, for which Israel has denied responsibility, he added: "It seems that Israel has decided to escalate its aggression against the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon. We will stand fast."

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      1.   Palestinian "work accident" 22:08  |  Gili 15/02/08
      2.   Playing with detonators and explosives. 22:12  |  Stephen 15/02/08
      3.   Playing With Qassams At Home Is Dangerous 22:12  |  Phil 15/02/08
      4.   no doubt the militants kill each other 22:14  |  watcher 15/02/08
      5.   Typical 22:15  |  Gee 15/02/08
      6.   A bomb factory exosed! 22:17  |  Mike 15/02/08
      7.   fayed was working on enhancing qassams 22:24  |  e-meth mughnia 15/02/08
      8.   This "middle east story" is getting stranger by the minute. 22:26  |  common sense 15/02/08
      9.   "Work Accident" 22:27  |  Adrian de Klerk 15/02/08
      10.   Blame Israel and Jews for everything 22:28  |  Vlad 15/02/08
      11.   SHeeeeesh-kebab 22:28  |  matilda 15/02/08
      12.   Hamas, IJ, Fatah, Hezbollah, Syria & Iran. 22:38  |  curious 15/02/08
      13.   to commmon sense: what next? 22:44  |  avi 15/02/08
      14.   To: Matilda 22:46  |  Mike 15/02/08
      15.   And the world cries about the "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. 22:48  |  Cynic 15/02/08
      16.   whether we did it or not let them be scared that we did do it. 22:49  |  ralph 15/02/08
      17.   Pals: First accuse Israel - investigate later 22:51  |  Avi 15/02/08
      18.   a very good few days. now repeat every week 22:51  |  ralph 15/02/08
      19.   `nearby metal workshop` hmm? 22:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 15/02/08
      20.   syria arrests pals in damascus bombing work accident in gaza 22:53  |  ralph 15/02/08
      21.   Actually, they were lighting Sabbath candles 22:54  |  Yonatan 15/02/08
      22.   hire more un teachers pals lost in damascus work accident in gaza 22:54  |  ralph 15/02/08
      23.   "ISLAMIC JIHAD" 22:54  |  J. Schaefer 15/02/08
      24.   watching too much tv. darwin failures program too popular 22:55  |  ralph 15/02/08
      25.   not a peep... 22:55  |  mb 15/02/08
      26.   guess thats what happens when you grow up watching cartoons 22:56  |  ralph 15/02/08
      27.   "ISLAMIC JIHAD" 22:57  |  J. Schaefer 15/02/08
      28.   Thats what happens if you store Kassams under the bed 22:59  |  Alan 15/02/08
      29.   #5 Dont Forget The Mohammed Cartoons 22:59  |  Phil 15/02/08
      30.   House of the wicked 22:59  |  Paul 15/02/08
      31.   If it was a rocket factory or storage facility . . . 23:00  |  Shlomo 15/02/08
      32.   The Devil 23:00  |  Paul 15/02/08
      33.   Put out that Cigarette Yasser! 23:00  |  Barry 15/02/08
      34.   We will respond to this Zionist massacre painfully 23:01  |  R 15/02/08
      35.   Obviously, it is a busy season for the virgins in paradise. 23:01  |  justice reigns 15/02/08
      36.   BIG BLAST IN GAZA 23:03  |  Dudka 15/02/08
      37.   WHO IS KILLING THESE GUYS???? 23:04  |  smart jew 15/02/08
      38.   interesting how UN is silent about this 23:08  |  vik 15/02/08
      39.   Top Islamic Jihad Militant and Six other... 23:09  |  Douglas Fireman 15/02/08
      40.   This is disgusting if it really was a "targeted" killing 23:10  |  NO PEACE 15/02/08
      41.   I wonder: Will dutch, durson, lakshmi, Fool & Mareen blame it on 23:16  |  Vittorio 15/02/08
      42.   There goes another fallacy 23:18  |  Oddvark 15/02/08
      43.   qassam 101 23:21  |  ed 15/02/08
      44.   Hamas`s "Bugg`s Bunny striked again" 23:23  |  Michael 15/02/08
      45.   plight of palestinians 23:26  |  ron 15/02/08
      46.   Mohammad Cartoons 23:26  |  RMB 15/02/08
      47.   To Hamas...Warning: be carefull with the Qassams 23:31  |  The 72... 15/02/08
      48.   36 NO PEACE 23:33  |  peace 15/02/08
      49.   What do quassum fragments signify?! 23:33  |  Esther 15/02/08
      50.   Valentines Day 23:35  |  rob 15/02/08
      51.   To Mr. or Mrs. No Peace 23:36  |  Avi 15/02/08
      52.   #36 No Peace Silly Comment About Nukes 23:39  |  Phil 15/02/08
      53.   UN & UNCHR Indulge Terror Arab Urban War Crime 23:42  |  Joseph . E 15/02/08
      54.   No UN resolution , No condemnation , No sanction , No nothing . 23:43  |  Joseph . E 15/02/08
      55.   They shout Not excessive , disproportionate collective punishment 23:44  |  Joseph . E 15/02/08
      56.   Leon Rosgarten, trotzkist considers IJ not sufficiently 23:45  |  Vittorio 15/02/08
      57.   Worldwide medias suddenly shout Not "freedom from terror" , "huma 23:45  |  Joseph . E 15/02/08
      58.   live by the sword 23:45  |  thomas 15/02/08
      59.   Mike`s response to Matilda 23:46  |  Bill H. 15/02/08
      60.   Did the earthquake knock over the TNT 23:48  |  Avrum 15/02/08
      61.   Targeted Assasinations- A Feminist Perspective 23:49  |  Natallie Durson 15/02/08
      62.   about The Legality of such killing Adalah Center and B`Tselem Pet 23:49  |  Joseph . E 15/02/08
      63.   Same thing in Lebanon 23:51  |  Chick 15/02/08
      64.   Storing qassams with children as shields 23:52  |  Gina 15/02/08
      65.   It`s a real life Roadrunner cartoon 23:54  |  Jeff 15/02/08
      66.   םירחא בידי תישענ םתכאלמ םיקידצ 00:20  |  Figaro 16/02/08
      67.   if you live your time will come 00:23  |  Assad-u-LLAH 16/02/08
      68.   I feel very badly for the son & daughter 00:24  |  Tom 16/02/08
      69.   Blast in Gaza 00:25  |  Paula 16/02/08
      70.   all these terrorist blowing up it must be xmas 00:28  |  jew 16/02/08
      71.   Phil of London, your my new favorite prophet! 00:39  |  akiva (zionist)