Israel killed the leader of a Palestinian militant faction in a targeted attack on a car in the Gaza Strip Israeli military sources admitted the assassination of  Secretary General of the Popular Resistance Committee(PRC)  Zuhair Al-Qaisi, and that of the released detainee Mahmoud Hanani, originally from Nablus but exiled to the Gaza Strip, during an attack on their car on Friday.
Sources told the occupation radio station that the assassination of Al-Qaisi, whom Israel considered as one of the most dangerous figures in Gaza, was meant to convey a message to anyone who tries to harm the security of the Jewish state.
The Israeli sources added that they will not stop targeting individuals who spread and profess violence, explaining that the army and the security services will make “Palestinian terrorists”- as they called them - pay a heavy price.
The sources blamed Hamas  for any escalations of violence on the border of the Gaza Strip demanding that the political party keeps the situation under control,  “if it really wants to keep its ruling on Gaza”.
Immediately after the attack, the spokesperson for the emergency services told Arabstoday that “two martyrs arrived at the hospital torn into parts and beheaded, while two others were suffering minor injuries”.
Witnesses reported that the car was hit while travelling near the old Palestine TV building.
The blast set a small metallic blue car ablaze. At least two of the victims were inside the vehicle when the explosion occurred, witnesses said. Reuters television footage showed one charred body being carried away from the scene.
Mahmoud Hanani was the first of the 1000 Palestinian prisoners freed in the prisoner exchange  deal,  to be killed by an Israeli strike.
Israel often launches retaliatory attacks after missiles are fired at its territory from Gaza, which is run by the Islamist group Hamas.
Al-Qessi was elected chief of the PRC last August after Israel killed his predecessor in an air strike in the southern Gazan town of Rafah.
Israel launched that raid after accusing the PRC of staging attacks along its border with Egypt that killed seven Israelis.