Islamic Jihad slams talks at mass rally
Tens of thousands of supporters of the militant Islamic Jihad movement rallied in the streets of Gaza yesterday, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. Young men and boys wearing white T-shirts with a slogan in the shape of a rifle bore portraits of militants killed in combat, under the black flags of Islamic Jihad.
Ramadan Shallah, the group’s exiled chief in Damascus, sent a recorded message marking the anniversary of the assassination of the group’s leader Fathi Shiqaqi in Malta in 1995, by presumed Israeli secret agents.
“Israel will not bring peace to the region, it will only bring war and destruction and therefore, the slogan of all should be that Israel must be wiped out of existence,” said Shallah, who is on a United States wanted list.