AN Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip killed a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, the Islamist group said today. A week after Israel launched devastating air strikes against the Palestinian enclave with the declared aim of ending Hamas rocket attacks on its southern towns, an end to hostilities remains elusive despite international diplomatic efforts.The overnight air strike in Gaza killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior leader of Hamas's armed wing, the Islamist group said. The Israeli army said only that it carried out a series of air attacks throughout the night.
On Thursday, an Israeli air strike killed another Hamas leader, Nizar Rayyan. Most of Hamas's top officials have gone into hiding, anticipating assassination attempts by Israel.