Hamas vows to avenge killing

Tens of thousands of mourners cried out on Sunday to avenge the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz Al-Rantissi by Israel ahead of its ...

Tens of thousands of mourners cried out on Sunday to avenge the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz Al-Rantissi by Israel ahead of its planned US-backed pullout from Gaza.

The Hamas military wing pledged ‘‘100 retaliations’’ for Rantissi, a 56-year-old firebrand who was the second Hamas leader Israel killed in Gaza in less than a month.

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon praised his Army for Saturday’s helicopter strike on Rantissi and pledged the Jewish state would continue to ‘‘fight terror’’. Rantissi’s body was carried aloft on a stretcher draped in a green Hamas flag.

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‘‘It is no doubt a crime,’’ Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said. ‘‘Unfortunately the Israelis feel they are supported by the US administration.’’

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticised Rantissi’s killing, saying it could lead to more violence in West Asia. The EU and Britain also condemned it.

The US denied giving Israel the green light to go after Rantissi but refrained from condemning the assassination.