'Ceasefire off' as strike kills Hamas leader

The Palestinian terror group Hamas called off its ceasefire today after an Israeli helicopter attack killed one of its senior leaders in Gaza City.

Ismail Abu Shanab was decapitated and two of his bodyguards were killed when five missiles struck his estate car.

Fifteen bystanders were wounded, doctors said, including women and children.

Hamas responded by saying it was calling off a unilateral ceasefire it signed with the other main militant groups on June 29.

“We consider ourselves free from this ceasefire,” Hamas official Ibrahim Hanieh said. Hamas members at the scene smeared their fists in blood and soot and vowed to have their revenge.

The missile attack came two days after a Hamas suicide bomber blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus, killing 20 people. The militant group had insisted after Tuesday’s bombing that it was still observing the truce.

Abu Shanab’s estate car had been slowing down to avoid a large stone in the road when the first missile crashed into it, witnesses said.

A second quickly followed, said Naim Shaban, who owns a metal workshop nearby.

“I threw myself under a table in my shop, and the explosions continued,” he said. “Flames were coming from everywhere. When it stopped, I saw one helicopter turning west, towards the sea. I rushed to the car, and saw people burning inside.”

Three scorched bodies were pulled from the burning car. Two were identified as bodyguards, and it appeared Abu Shanab had been decapitated by the strike.

There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military.

In the past, Israel has repeatedly killed wanted Palestinians in targeted missile attacks. Israel had suspended the practice after militants declared a unilateral truce on June 29.

Earlier that month, Israel fired missiles at the car of another Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who escaped with minor injuries.