Hamas kill man on trial during Israeli air strike

A PALESTINIAN man, on trial for allegedly collaborating with Israel, was killed by Palestinian militants yesterday after an Israeli air strike disrupted court proceedings.

Abdel Hai Sababi, 48, was on trial for allegedly supplying information to the Israeli military that helped kill five Palestinians belonging to the militant Hamas organisation in the southern Gaza Strip last month.

The security court had gone into recess and Mr Sababi was taken into a nearby detention room, when Israeli aircraft began firing on a building in the Khan Yunis area, not far from the court, said Brig Gen Abdel Aziz Wadi, chairman of the court.

Pandemonium broke out in the court as Palestinians feared the building would be hit. Palestinian government buildings have been targets in past Israeli air strikes. During the chaos, some members of Hamas broke into the detention room, shooting and killing Mr Sababi, Brig Gen Wadi said.

It was the second day of Mr Sababi's trial and Hamas members had rained bottles and stones on the building since the trial started, calling for his execution.

Mr Sababi was being tried for his alleged role in a June air strike by Israeli helicopters on passengers in a car driving through Rafah, a town on the border with Egypt.

The Israeli military said the target was Yasser Rizik, the Rafah commander of the Hamas military wing, who died instantly. Five others were killed, including four Hamas activists, the group said.

Three Israeli helicopters and two fighter planes were in the sky at the time of the strike on the three-story building in Qarara, witnesses said. Two explosions were heard, but it was not immediately clear which aircraft fired, the witnesses added.

Residents said the building was empty at the time of the attack, but the flying debris injured about 10 people. Three were taken to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and seven treated at the scene, witnesses said.

The reason for attacking the building was not clear, though it may have been in response to Palestinian mortar attacks Saturday night and yesterday morning at the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom.