TEL AVIV, Israel, April 17 (UPI) -- The Israeli army Saturday confirmed killing Hamas' leader Abdel Azziz Rantisi in Gaza.
In a statement issued in Tel Aviv, the army spokesman said the Israel Defense Forces targeted a car carrying ...Rantisi who is directly responsible for the killing of scores of Israelis in numerous terror attacks."
The attack comes less than a month after Israel killed Hamas' former leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin.
Rantisi has been considered a more extreme leader than Yassin.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon intends to leave the Gaza Strip before the end of 2005. The targeted killings seem designed to weaken the radical Hamas organization that has been gaining popularity at the expense of Palestinian leaders more inclined to come to terms with Israel and end the violence.
