ISRAELI military officials yesterday identified Mahmoud Zahar, a surgeon and prominent Hamas hard-liner, as the new leader of the Islamic militant group in the Gaza Strip.

ISRAEL has been killing those it considers a threat to its security for decades but, in the past few years, the policy has been stepped up as part of the government’s attempts to stop suicide attacks.

AFTER Israel’s assassination of two of its leaders in less than a month, Hamas has decided to keep the identity of its new supremo in the Palestinian territories a secret.

THE new leader of Hamas said yesterday the group had no plans to attack American targets but would try to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in retaliation for the death of their spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

YASSER ARAFAT yesterday ejected Israel's demand that he provide a list of everyone holed up with him in his besieged office, a Palestinian negotiator said.