Israel kills top Hamas terrorist

Israel last night killed a top Hamas terrorist who had eluded Israeli forces for years, forcing another major blow to the already weakened terror group.

An Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a car traveling in the Gaza Strip, killing Adnan al-Ghoul, a founder and the No. 2 figure of Hamas’ “military wing,” along with a second unidentified occupant in the car.

The Israeli airstrike took place north of Gaza City as dozens of people left a nearby mosque following evening prayers. Upon news of al-Ghoul’s death, thousands of angry Hamas supporters reportedly took to the streets in several refugee camps, calling for revenge and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

Al-Ghoul has been on the top of Israel’s hit list for years, and has long eluded Israeli forces. He joined Hamas in 1988 when the group was in its infancy, and went on to become the terrorist organization’s top bomb-maker after Israel assassinated Yehiya Ayash, known as “the engineer,” in 1996.

He was a resident of the Mughrkha area south of Gaza City but lived in hiding for years and never made public appearances or spoke to the media.

In September 2003, al-Ghoul was trapped in a Gaza apartment with Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, senior official Ismail Hanieh, and military wing chief Mohammed Deif, when the Israeli air force dropped a 550-pound bomb on the building. All the men escaped unharmed, although Yassin was subsequently killed in an Israeli helicopter strike earlier this year.

The killing is the latest in a series of Israeli assassinations that have continually weakened Hamas and has sent most leaders into hiding, including the assassination of the group’s spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, weeks apart earlier this year.

The Israeli army issued a statement describing al-Ghoul as a “leading Hamas figure” responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis.

Al-Ghoul’s killing leaves the Hamas military leadership in the hands of Mohammed Deif, its longtime chief.