Two Hamas militants shot dead along border

Gaza: Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinian militants planting bombs along the Israeli border yesterday, drawing vows of revenge from Hamas as it prepared to form a Palestinian government.

"Martyrs rest in peace and we will continue the struggle," thousands of Hamas supporters chanted at funerals for the two militants killed in Gaza over-night.

One of the dead militants was the son of Hamas co-founder and senior leader Abdul Fattah Dukhan, a newly-elected member of the Palestinian parliament.

In another incident, a top Hamas bombmaker was killed when a device blew up as he was training militants to prepare explosives.

"Hamas is continuing to train the mujahideen in order to pursue their task of jihad," said Hamas spokes-man Sami Abu Zuhri.

'Not worth comment'

Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security guru Avi Dichter said Hamas's nominee for prime minister Esmail Haniya could be targeted for assassination if Hamas carries out bombings.

"If there will be a terror attack in which Israel decides to respond with a preventive step, Haniya would be a legitimate target because Hamas can not carry out a terror attack without Haniya's authorisation," Dichter, who may serve as defence minister if Olmert's Kadima party wins the election, told the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Haniya said Dichter's statement "is not worth comment".

On Thursday, in the deadliest army raid since mid-2005, Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinians, at least three of them gunmen, near the West Bank city of Nablus. The army said the raid was to search for militants planning new bomb attacks.

Abbas seeks global pressure on Israel

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called yesterday for international pressure to rein in Israel after its acting premier vowed to press on with a campaign of attacks against militant groups.

In the wake of the escalating situation on the ground, Abbas's spokesman revealed the moderate Palestinian National Authority president was pushing for a special session of the UN Security Council.

"Abu Mazen [Abbas] has begun urgent contacts to ask the Security Council to meet as soon as possible to discuss the Israeli escalations and assassinations," presidential office spokesman Nabeel Abu Rudeina said.