Israel has "marked for death" Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, following a suicide bombing that killed four Israeli security personnel in Gaza, Israel's deputy defence chief said today.
The wheelchair-bound Muslim cleric attended Friday prayers at a mosque near his Gaza City home and told reporters he would embrace "martyrdom". A Palestinian cabinet minister said Israel was playing with fire by making the threat.
It was unclear whether the Jewish state had made a final decision to kill the Hamas spiritual leader. Israel made a botched attempt on Yassin's life last September.
Thousands of Palestinians rallied today in support of Yassin in the Gaza Strip. Among the protesters were dozens of masked men who waved green flags as spokesmen announced that Hamas would fight on even if Israel killed its leaders.
"Israel will pay a heavy price for any attempt to harm the Sheikh and the (Hamas) political leadership," a statement released today by Hamas' armed wing said.
Hamas, an Islamic group dedicated to Israel's destruction, claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing by a Palestinian mother-of-two on the Gaza-Israel border. The attack, which left three Israeli soldiers and a security officer dead, further undermined chances of reviving a US-backed peace plan.
The suicide bombing was Hamas' first by a female, and Yassin said today in response to criticism of her decision that he sympathised with critics but that fighting Israel was a "religious duty for every male and female".