Hamas warns of 'consequences' after Gaza air strike

Senior Izzadin Kassam member among 3 killed in air strike, Ma'an reports; IDF: Attack targeted cell planning to kidnap Israelis.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
A car hit by IAF airstrike in Gaza 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
A car hit by IAF airstrike in Gaza 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
Hamas on Saturday morning warned of "consequences" after an IAF air strike killed three members of its Izzadin Kassam Brigades overnight, including a senior member of the group, AFP and Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.
The Izzadin Kassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, warned in a statement that the air strike was a "serious escalation" and said Israel would "bear all the consequences."
RELATED:Kassam rocket lands south of Ashkelon; none hurtIAF kills Islamic Jihad militant, strikes tunnel Meanwhile, the DFLP in Gaza announced Saturday morning that following the strike, it was withdrawing from a recently-announced informal ceasefire, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.
In a statement, the group said that Israel "would have to bear the repercussions of this crime," according to Ma'an. In an earlier statement, the group had urged other Palestinian terrorist groups to reconsider the ceasefire.
Hamas identified the three dead as Ismael Lubbad, Abdallah Lubbad and Mohammed Eldayah. Army Radio reported that Ismael Lubbad was considered a senior member of the group.IAF aircraft killed three terrorists and critically wounded another in the Gaza Strip early on Saturday, the IDF spokesperson said.The spokesperson said the air strike targeted "a terrorist squad planning to kidnap Israelis in the Sinai Peninsula and Israel" over the upcoming Passover holiday.
Gaza residents said the planes fired on a car the three men were traveling in near the town of Khan Younis. According to Palestinian news agency Ma'an, residents of Khan Younis reported hearing the single-missile strike.Ma'an cited sources as saying that the IAF targeted a white Toyota that was traveling between Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, completely obliterating the vehicle.
The three dead bodies were brought, badly charred, along with the critically injured man, to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital near Khan Younis, a Palestinian medical source told Ma'an.AnIAF air strike in the same area of Gaza on Wednesday killed a Palestinian terrorist on a motorcycle. Another strike earlier that day targeted a smuggling tunnel in the southern Strip.
Reuters contributed to this report.