Big Fish

The Israelis have captured a very big fish. The commander of the Ramallah area Hamas military wing, Sheikh Ibrahim Hamed, was captured in Ramallah today.

The force surrounded the house in which Hamed was staying, but Hamed refused calls to come out. The troops then opened fire on the house, and when a bulldozer began to push against the walls of the structure, Hamed emerged, alone and apparently unarmed.

Local resident Mohammed Azzam, 48, said he watched the arrest from his balcony facing the two-story building where Hamed was holed up. The ground floor of the hideout consisted of shops with large iron doors. Two apartments were on the floor above.

Azzam said that at the start of the operation, an IDF bulldozer rammed the iron shop door. Over the loudspeaker, troops then called out Hamed's name in accent-free Arabic. They told Hamed they would demolish the building with him inside if he didn't surrender, Azzam said.

Hamed emerged, wearing a light-colored shirt and gray pants. Following instructions over the loudspeaker, he took off his shirt and pants, then walked toward the soldiers in his underwear. Palestinian militants surrendering to troops are routinely asked to strip to make sure they are not wearing explosives on their body.

They have been trying to catch this guy since at least 1998. He's suspected in planning bombings that killed at least 78 people. The list is in the Haaretz article and it's just sickening to read.