Palestinian Miltiant Killed in Airstrike

03/31/2006

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A top Palestinian militant was killed on Friday in Gaza City, hospital officials said, and witnesses said he died in an Israeli airstrike on his car.

Hospital officials identified the dead man as Abu Yousef Abu Quka, a commander of the Popular Resistance Committees. The white Subaru in which he was driving was reduced to a hunk of twisted, charred metal. Hundreds of people gathered around the burning vehicle after the attack.

Popular Resistance Committees was killed on Friday in Gaza City, hospital officials said, and witnesses said he died in an Israeli airstrike on his car.

The Israeli military, which has killed dozens of militant leaders, had no immediate comment.

Israel Radio reported that Abu Quka was a senior Popular Resistance Committees commander in northern Gaza who oversaw numerous rocket attacks on Israel.

Israel has vowed to strike back hard against militant attacks. Israeli aircraft struck 15 sites over the past day in response to Palestinian rocket fire at southern Israel.

The killing of the commander was part of a wider spiral of violence that has escalated in the area. On Thursday evening, another Palestinian militant group killed four Israelis in a suicide bombing in the West Bank.