#targeted-killings

#targeted-killings

The killing of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the recently appointed head of Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has dealt a symbolic blow to the Palestinian group in Gaza, but the impact on its military operations is far from certain. Al-Haddad was killed on Friday in a sophisticated dual-strike on a residential apartment in Gaza City's Remal neighbourhood and a vehicle attempting to flee the scene. The delivery of heavy munitions into a densely populated area, packed with displaced civilians, killed seven other Palestinians, including women and children, and wounded 50 people.

We at the Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly terrorist crime, which we consider a direct attack on the feminist struggle and the values of freedom and equality.

Some commentators described the murders as motivated by sectarian hatred and blamed the new Syrian government. Others blamed remnants of the Assad regime, who want to inflame community tensions. But further investigation later found that one of the dead men was known to be associated with an Assad-affiliated militia responsible for the deaths of as many as 700 people during the country's 14-year civil war.