7 “martyrs” got their wish

The IAF was busy yesterday. And they got a big PIJ fish, too. The AP reports in its own, specially-biased way:

Israeli aircraft sent missiles hurtling down on Gaza three times Saturday, killing seven Palestinian militants and sending a clear signal that Israel would not tolerate attacks following Hamas’ bloody takeover of the coastal strip.

[…] Three militants from the Islamic Jihad were killed in the first airstrike on a car traveling in the southern town of Khan Younis. The army said the militants were planning a suicide bombing and had been involved in previous suicide attacks against Israel. The army also linked them to a 2004 infiltration of a military post in Gaza in which one Israeli civilian was killed.

Abu Ahmed, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, said one of the three, Ziad Ghanam, was the group’s top leader in southern Gaza. He vowed retaliation.

“We continue our path of resistance until martyrdom or victory,” he said.

Um… do we get to choose? Because I choose “martyrdom.”

The second attack hit a weapons factory in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing four militants, including a father and son, from a violent offshoot of Abbas’ Fatah movement.

See, this is one of the more subtle forms of bias. Makes the reader think, “Gee, those nasty Israelis killed two family members!” when what it should be doing is emphasizing the terrorist connection. But it doesn’t. What, exactly, is this family connection? Why, it’s the one that passes down bomb-building knowhow. The son was also responsible for murdering Israelis.

Abu Thaer, a spokesman for the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, said the father, Salah Quffa, 50, was head of the group’s central Gaza operations. Al Aqsa and Islamic Jihad gunmen broke through Gaza’s heavily fortified border in early June in a failed attempt to abduct an Israeli soldier, and Abu Thaer said Israel targeted men involved in that operation.

Good. And once again, notice the impersonal “Israel said” or “the army said” when referring to Israeli quotes, and always identifying the Palestinian spokesliars. A subtle, yet vital part of the anti-Israel bias.

The army confirmed an airstrike at the site, saying it went after Islamic Jihad militants involved in previous attacks on Israel.

Aircraft fired missiles at the same place shortly after. Palestinian medical officials said the strike injured five Hamas gunmen guarding the area after the weapons factory was attacked.

Now that’s different. Too bad they didn’t hit the terrorists hard enough.

The army said it went after an Islamic Jihad arms warehouse. Hamas had no immediate comment.

What, couldn’t get through the 1-800-TERROR line?