The Assassination of the Children of Advisor Baha Balousha Shook the Palestinian Territories

The Palestinian territories were shaken yesterday by a murder crime that claimed the lives of three children and the personal aide of their father, the government advisor in the Palestinian National Authority.

This crime overshadowed the internal crisis and entered into some of its debates, with a member of the 'Fatah' movement demanding the resignation of the Minister of Interior, at a time when Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh seemed to be nearing the end of his tour, which was supposed to be completed yesterday in Saudi Arabia, but he moved to Khartoum without providing clarifications.

Local sources and eyewitnesses told 'Al-Akhbar' that unknown gunmen in two civilian cars intercepted the vehicle carrying Mahmoud Al-Habeel (25 years old) along with three of advisor Baha Balousha's children, and opened fire with their automatic weapons, penetrating the vehicle with about 60 bullets, which resulted in the deaths of Al-Habeel and the three children.

Palestinian medical sources stated that the children are: Osama (9 years old), Ahmed (7 years old), and Salam (6 years old).

Witnesses said that Balousha was looking from the balcony of his apartment in the Al-Siraj Tower in the upscale Rimal neighborhood of the city when gunmen fired at the vehicle from about 50 meters away from his home.

About ten thousand Palestinians attended the funeral of the victims of the crime in a grand procession, amidst an atmosphere of intense anger and sadness, accompanied by dozens of armed men firing into the air, demanding retribution from the killers.

The atmosphere was charged against the Hamas movement, the government, and the legislative council, as the voices of the mourners echoed with chants against the movement and its government, while others fired shots towards the legislative council. Some speculated that agents and collaborators with Israel were behind the crime, as the advisor Bahlousha was one of the activists of the 'Falcons' of Fatah, the military wing of the Fatah movement during the first intifada.

Mourning spread across the city of Gaza, where shops closed their doors and schools and universities suspended classes for one day, while mosques recited Quranic verses over loudspeakers. Angry youths burned tires in the main streets of Gaza.

The spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, strongly condemned this heinous and unacceptable crime. He stated that the perpetrators bear the responsibility for the consequences of their crime aimed at escalating tensions during this sensitive phase, calling on the relevant authorities to reveal the culprits and bring them to justice.

As for the representative of the Fatah movement, Mohammed Dahlan, he described the crime as a 'horrific massacre resembling what is happening in Algeria, which the occupation has not carried out before.' He said that 'criminal dark forces are trying to destroy the Palestinian people,' adding that 'the slaughter of children in the streets of Gaza will not go unpunished.'

In what appeared to be veiled accusations against the Hamas movement, Dahlan stated that "those who killed martyr (Jad) Al-Taieh (the officer in the Palestinian General Intelligence) were smuggled to Egypt, and those who killed Colonel Muhammad Al-Mousa from the Palestinian Military Intelligence escaped to the crossing, and those who attempted to assassinate Abu Ali Shahin (a Fatah leader) have not been identified." He vowed that "the response to these crimes will be unprecedented."

The Fatah parliamentary bloc demanded Abbas to dismiss the government following the crime. MP Abdul Hamid Al-Aila, from the Fatah bloc in the Legislative Council, called on council members to submit their collective resignations after the "abysmal failure in maintaining security."

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior and National Security, Khaled Abu Hilal, stated that "the Minister of Interior issued clear instructions to all security agencies, including the executive force, to reach quick results that reveal the identity of the perpetrators of this crime."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh also condemned the crime, stating that the government cannot remain silent in the face of this heinous crime.