Sheikh Yassin, Hamas aging and crippled spiritual leader, was no exception in the Israeli assassination policy

Yasser El-Banna, IOL Correspondent

GAZA, September 20 (IslamOnline.net) – After a series of successful and failed Israeli assassination attempts, the leaders and cadres of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas decided to escape Israel’s watchful eyes and avoid press statements and interviews.

Israel has admitted such strategy has minimized its ability to locate and liquidate the resistance leaders and fighters.

Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, for example, has left his humble house in Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City and disappeared 10 days ago.

This came after he narrowly escaped an Israeli assassination attempt after an F-16 fighter missiles at a house he was visiting with senior Hamas political leader Ismael Haneya on Saturday, September 6.

Four days later, Israeli helicopter gunships dropped a huge bomb at the house of Hamas senior political leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, killing his elder son Khaled and his bodyguard.

On Thursday, August 21, Israel assassinated senior Hamas political leader Ismail Abu Shanab drawing the group’s declaration of ending the unilateral truce declared by the main Palestinian resistance factions on June 29.

Reporters Complain

The new Hamas strategy has become a major problem for reporters who face major difficulties exploring the resistance movement stances vis-à-vis issue of the hour, with the disappearance of its leaders.

“Hamas political leaders no longer use means of communication or talk to reporters after Israel exploited such incidents to locate and assassinate several resistance activists,” informed Palestinian sources told IslamOnline.net.

“Most Hamas activists, especially members of its armed wing Ezzedeen el-Qassam Brigades, take utmost precautionary measures to nip in the bud Israeli assassination attempts,” said the sources.

They asserted that the new strategy has helped minimize the number of Hamas activists liquidated by the Israeli occupation army, after it soared to 15 martyrs in one month.

More than a year ago, IOL published several reports on the methods exploited by the Israeli occupation forces in assassinating Palestinian resistance activists and they were disseminated by Hamas among its activists.

On its website www.ezzedeen.net, Hamas military wing familiarizes resistance activists with the methods used by the Israeli army to liquidate Palestinian leaders and caders.

In a statement issued three months ago, Hamas called upon all its members to be on the watch and consider themselves assassination targets for the Israeli enemy.

The movement, in this respect, exhorted all its members to refrain from using phones and vehicles.

In an interview with the daily Haaretz, A senior Israeli officer admitted the impact of  the security precautions adopted by Hamas leaders and elements on the effectivesness of Israel’s so-called “targeted killings”.

Atef Edwa, political science professor in the Islamic University in Gaza, told IOL Israel will not be able to eliminate Hamas by assassinating its political leaders.

“Israel will be the big loser if an underground leadership takes over in Hamas,” he argued.

Edwa, an expert in Islamic movements affairs, asserted that “Hamas is an organization based on an everlasting Islamic ideology. Every Palestinian Muslim adheres to this ideology and will not wait for orders to act.

“Hamas has suffered, since its establishment, from the absence of its leaders who were jailed by the occupation army but this never affected its struggle, particularly after an underground leadership took over,” he added.