Two Palestinian Militants Killed by Israeli Troops
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinian militants in the West Bank on Friday, and 30,000 supporters of the militant Islamic group Hamas rallied in the Gaza Strip, vowing to avenge the killings of gunmen and civilians.
One of the militants, Tarek Abed Rabbo, was a senior field commander of Hamas’ military wing. Palestinian security sources said he was shot 13 times while hiding in a closet by soldiers who raided a refugee camp near Tulkarm.
“Abed Rabbo ... was killed as he resisted arrest,” an Israeli army statement said. “In addition, the forces arrested Mohammed Walir, another senior Hamas terrorist.”
Earlier, soldiers killed an armed Palestinian in an exchange of fire in the village of Thabra, south of Bethlehem, when he tried to evade capture, Israeli military sources said.
The violence, which has continued despite Washington’s appeals for calm while it seeks Arab support for a possible war on Iraq, followed a day of bloodletting in which seven Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed.
About 30,000 Hamas supporters packed a sports stadium in the southern Gazan town of Khan Yunis, where they cheered a parade of gunmen and 20 would-be suicide bombers wearing white shrouds that read, “Martyrs-in-waiting.”
The rally, one of the biggest by Hamas since the start of the conflict, marked the 15th anniversary of Hamas’ founding.
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