February 11, 2009 3:13 PM

2 Hamas Die In Training Camp Glitch

(AP)  Palestinian militants accidentally set off a large blast while mishandling explosives at a Hamas training base in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing two members of the violent Islamic group and wounding another, Palestinian medical officials said.

Hamas said the explosion was accidental and its men died while performing a "holy mission."

Hamas security men kept photographers and TV cameramen away from the scene. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, confirmed the deaths.

The incident happened amid new signs that Israel is moving closer to a cease-fire with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Amos Gilad, a senior Defense Ministry official, traveled this week to Cairo for talks with Egyptian mediators, Israeli defense officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks.

As part of the Israel-Egypt talks, the two sides have agreed in principle for Egypt to replace Israel as the main supplier of electricity to the Gaza Strip, the officials said. Egypt will set up a new power line from the city of El-Arish, the officials said.

The deal must still be finalized. But when it's complete, Egypt will within two years build a power line to supply 150 megawatts to Gaza, the officials said. The agreement stems from Israel's desire to cut off all ties with the Gaza Strip, which it withdrew from in 2005.

Israel has imposed a blockade on the territory in recent months, including small cuts in electricity, in an effort to force Gaza's Hamas rulers to stop rocket fire into southern Israel.

An economic adviser to Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian government in the West Bank, said Thursday that Israel had approved the project. Fayyad's administration, Egypt and the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia have already agreed to the $32 million project, said the adviser, Jawad Al-Naji.

"We signed the agreement with the Islamic fund and with the Egyptians," Al-Naji said. "Now we have entered the executive phase after the Israeli approval."

Fayyad's government is eager to assert its authority over Gaza, which is controlled by the rival Hamas movement. Hamas officials weren't immediately available for comment.

Also Thursday, a smuggling tunnel under the Egypt-Gaza border collapsed, killing one man, doctors said. Residents said they believed another man was buried in the rubble. Palestinian smugglers use tunnels to bring everything from cigarettes to weapons into Gaza.

In other violence, Israeli troops killed a 60-year-old Palestinian farmer near Gaza's border with Israel, doctors said. The Israeli military had no comment. But Israel often shoots at Palestinians near the border due to frequent attempts by militants to plant explosives or sneak into Israel.

Israel has been battling Hamas since the Islamic group violently seized control of Gaza last June, launching military strikes and ground operations in an effort to stop the rocket fire.

But violence in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel has eased overall in recent weeks as Egypt, with U.S. backing, pressed Hamas to stop its rocket fire into Israel and urged Israel to halt military activity.

The truce efforts intensified after a fierce round of fighting that began in late February and killed more than 120 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, as well as three Israelis.

Israeli security was on alert Thursday, believing that militant groups could try to attack during the Purim holiday, which begins at sundown and coincides with the end of a 40-day Muslim mourning period for a Hezbollah commander killed last month. Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a car bombing in Syria that the Lebanese guerrilla group blamed on Israel. Israel has denied involvement.

As part of the security cautions, Israel barred thousands of Palestinian workers and merchants from the West Bank and Gaza Strip from entering the country. The closure took effect Wednesday and would last until Monday morning, the army said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 37 Comments
by zootallures2 March 21, 2008 5:07 PM EDT
ZOOTALURES2
yOU SOUND LIKE A TERRORIST OR A SYMPATHYZER, IF SO GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY AND GO LIVE WITH YOUR BUDDIES THE TERRORISTS.

Posted by ranger1948 at 10:33 AM : Mar 21, 2008

When you get the HELL OUT OF MINE and can contain your evil, swindling, and insanity in your own borders.

If I ran the UN, there would be peace in a month. But you wouldn''t want that now would you? Then you''d have to start looking at yourself and what a pathetic creep you are.



Reply to this comment
by zootallures2 March 21, 2008 4:57 PM EDT
That''s the worst that can happen to Hamas. On the other hand, evil lying fake nations like Israel and the US, require dumber and dumber people to believe in their bullsh*t. Their accidents will come like the USSR and Chernobyl
======================================================
zoot, are you saying Hamas don''''t have suicide training camps? Suicide training camps? Just individuals or small groups.

Are you saying that the suicide bombers we read about every day are really just Americans in disguise trying to convince the world it is radical Arabs that blow up innocents? The pictures are just paid Pallywood actors. For poor people, 500 bucks is a lot. The real bombers are individual acting alone and Israel is far from innocent.

That the guy pictured in this article is a paid hollywood actor working for the U.S. government? Probably.

Explain what exactly about this article is untrue, please give specific details or are you just a shill, a propogandist, a sympathizer for the radical Islamic cause? I didn''t debate if it was true or not. I just compared their error with small explosives to what can happen to you with nuclear ones. Seeing you have decided to drift into the worst evil and s*dism in a modern time. A time when people are too educated to follow your insanity and you''ll eventually be left with nothing but idiots like yourself.
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by notblue March 21, 2008 1:37 PM EDT
zoot, are you saying Hamas don''t have suicide training camps? Are you saying that the suicide bombers we read about every day are really just Americans in disguise trying to convince the world it is radical Arabs that blow up innocents? That the guy pictured in this article is a paid hollywood actor working for the U.S. government? Explain what exactly about this article is untrue, please give specific details or are you just a shill, a propogandist, a sympathizer for the radical Islamic cause?
Reply to this comment
by ranger1948 March 21, 2008 1:33 PM EDT
ZOOTALURES2
yOU SOUND LIKE A TERRORIST OR A SYMPATHYZER, IF SO GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY AND GO LIVE WITH YOUR BUDDIES THE TERRORISTS.
Reply to this comment
by zootallures2 March 21, 2008 1:24 PM EDT
That''s the worst that can happen to Hamas. On the other hand, evil lying fake nations like Israel and the US, require dumber and dumber people to believe in their bullsh*t. Their accidents will come like the USSR and Chernobyl.



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by draugwolf March 21, 2008 12:47 PM EDT
Now only if we could get them to do that with VX or some Sarin .. then we would be cookin with some gas LOL..Oh and arabs,try some birth control allready geeeeze.. here is Achmed who lives in a tent for the last twenty years with his seven kids and his preggo wife ***
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by ranger1948 March 21, 2008 5:48 AM EDT
rational1
As ugly as their women are i think they would prefer the goats.
Reply to this comment
by truthword08 March 21, 2008 4:12 AM EDT
CBullS is now caught out ''''spinning'''' news.

Here''''s the start of the AP story by CBS:

"(AP) Palestinian militants accidentally set off a large blast while mishandling explosives at a Hamas training base in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing two members of the violent Islamic group and wounding another, Palestinian medical officials said.

Hamas said the explosion was accidental and its men died while performing a "holy mission."

Hamas security men kept photographers and TV cameramen away from the scene. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, confirmed the deaths. "


Here is the same AP report on Fox:

"GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip %u2014 Palestinian militants accidentally set off a large blast at a Hamas training base in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing two members of the violent Islamic group and wounding another, a Palestinian medical official said.

Hamas initially blamed Israel for the blast, but later acknowledged that it was caused by a mishandling of explosives, saying its men died while performing a "holy mission."

Hamas security men kept photographers and TV cameramen away from the scene. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, confirmed the deaths."

Notice what CBS took out?

Posted by TheGateway1

-Well imagine that. CBS took out the part where Hamas blamed Israel.

I wonder what jihadist is in charge of the editing department at CBS.
Reply to this comment
by rational_1 March 21, 2008 3:58 AM EDT
If you''re an Islamic militant, but so stupid that you manage to off yourself, do you still get the 70 virgins? Maybe 70 virgin goats? Dumb fecks! LOL
Reply to this comment
by ranger1948 March 21, 2008 2:30 AM EDT
Great to hear. Two more terrorists dead we won;t have to deal with. They have already proven they will not negotiate to peace. They kill anyone who disagrees with them. I was really glad to hear they killed themselves, my only regret is it was only two of them
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