NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLES... YASSIN?:

Sheik Was a Symbolic Figure Revered by Hamas Followers (CHRISTINE HAUSER, 3/22/04, NY Times)

[A]s the spiritual leader and man who helped found Hamas, Sheik Yassin is the most significant Palestinian militant killed by Israel so far. Sheik Yassin, a quadraplegic, was a symbolic figure for Palestinians to resistance against Israel.

He was revered by followers of Hamas, which is officially committed to Israel's destruction and has launched suicide attacks against Israelis in retaliation for what it calls Israel's crimes in the occupied territories and attacks on Palestinians.

His death came as Israeli forces have increased the pressure on militants in the Gaza Strip after two Palestinian suicide bombers from a refugee camp there blew themselves up eight days ago at the Israeli port of Ashdod, killing 10 Israelis. Hamas and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades jointly claimed the attack.

Sheik Yassin has denied involvement in planning specific attacks against Israel, but Israeli officials say he is personally responsible.

In a statement that underscored the prospect of even more violence after his killing, Hamas's military wing said it was planning a "string of responses to this crime of assassination."

Yoram Schweitzer, an Israeli researcher in international terrorism at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv, said that Sheik Yassin was of such symbolic importance to Palestinians there would likely be a new urgency for "spectacular attacks" to satiate Palestinian calls for revenge.

"We are already in a war with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and contingents of Fatah," Mr. Schweitzer said in a telephone interview, referring to other Palestinian groups that have carried out attacks.

"I don't think it is going to change anything for the time being."

MORE:
Israel preparing for wave of terror (Herb Keinon, Mar. 21, 2004, Jerusalem Post)

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that Israel will press ahead with a systematic campaign against Hamas, hours after an IAF air strike killed the founder of the Islamic terrorist group, Ahmed Yassin.

Yassin's "hands were soaked in the blood of Israeli children," Mofaz told reporters after appearing before parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Yassin was directly responsible for attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis, Mofaz said.

"As part of our systematic operations against all the terror organizations, we are working on a large number of tracks, including striking against the terrorist leaders, activists, sources of money, (making) arrests and targeted killings," Mofaz said. "We shall continue this systematic policy against the terrorist organizations."

Mofaz said he was confident Hamas could be weakened ahead of a possible Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

The defense minister said Israel had taken possible Hamas reprisals into account. "We are prepared for a possible wave of terror in the coming weeks," he said.

The Defense Ministry is preparing a systematic war against Hamas, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet Sunday, saying this is especially important as Israel moves toward disengagement from Gaza.