Israelis kill wheelchair bound Hamas militant
Israeli forces killed a wheelchair bound Hamas militant in the West Bank today by blowing up his house and burying him under the rubble.
Nasser Jerar, 44, was killed when soldiers fired rockets at his home in the village of Tubas, near Nablus. Jerar was a top activist in the violent Islamic group who lost both legs and an arm while trying to plant a bomb in May, 2001.
Soldiers surrounded the house and ordered Jerar to surrender, according to Israeli military sources.
Instead, Palestinians in the house opened intense fire at the soldiers outside, they said, and the Israeli forces responded by blowing up the house.
The Israeli military said Jerar continued his Hamas activity despite his injuries from the abortive attack. They said Jerar recruited suicide bombers and was also planning a bombing aimed at bringing down a high-rise building in Israel.
Israeli forces have killed dozens of suspected Palestinian terrorists in targeted raids during two years of fighting, operations the Palestinians say are aimed at assassinating their leaders.
However, the Israeli military sources said the goal of the operation in Tubas was to arrest Jerar, not to kill him.
