Hamas Leader Killed in Israeli Airstrike

According to a senior Hamas official, Sheikh Salah Shehada was killed instantly.

“We have confirmation that the leader of the military wing of Hamas, Sheikh Salah Shehada, was killed in this attack,” the senior official, Ismail Haniyeh, told reporters.

Palestinian security sources said Shehada had been at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list.

Wire reports quotes Palestinian doctors as saying that at least nine other people appeared killed in the blast, including three children and four women.

There was no immediate word on the strike or its target from the Israeli military.

Palestinian police in the area said they saw the missile launch and heard the massive explosion.

“I fell out of my bed and I found myself a minute later covered in dust and stones, and the sounds of my children screaming and crying,” the Associated Press reported policeman Jamal Halaby as saying.

According to Palestinian doctors, as many as 50 people were wounded in the strike that collapsed a series of homes in Gaza City.

The strike came as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators continued to discuss ideas aimed at reducing tension and violence in the West Bank.