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Hamas orders fresh suicide attacks on Israel

JERUSALEM: The armed wing of Hamas ordered on Tuesday a resumption of suicide attacks against Israel in response to a crackdown by the PLO and Israel against the Islamic group.

In a statement faxed to an international news agency in Jerusalem, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades called on their armed cells "to penetrate all the volatile security barriers... and to resume the wonderful martyrdom operations and to set a burning fire anew in the heart of the intruding Zionist state".

On Monday, Israel eased a closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip in February over the first of four suicide bombings by Moslem militants who killed 58 people.

Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority and Israel launched a massive crackdown on Hamas and Islamic Jihad, arresting hundreds of suspected activists, after the attacks.

The statement said the Palestinian Authority crackdown had "breached all red lines".

It swore to "punish" Palestinian security officials responsible for arresting its members but stopped short of ordering attacks on the Authority.

The statement said Palestinian security officials were torturing detainees and that many detainees were in hospitals under heavy guard.

It said the officials where beating activists with whips, hanging them by their hands and legs and that many were in hospitals in serious condition because of torture.

There was no immediate comment from Arafat's Palestinian Authority on the charges.

The statement also said that the Authority has set up a "secret apparatus to fight against Hamas and the Islamic Jihad".

Detained Hamas activists have disclosed the Islamic militant group was operating its own "Secret Apparatus" which followed orders from Hamas officials abroad to attack Palestinian officials and members of the Islamic militant group regarded as collaborators with Israel.

The statement said the Palestinian Authority had left no room for any dialogue and demanded security officials responsible for the crackdown be brought to trial.-Reuter