4 December 2002

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

Strife is asleep may Allah damn those who stir it

This Wednesday night two armed men, who are affiliated with the Fatah Movement and who are well known to us and to citizens present at the site, fired bullets and a hand grenade at a group of young men who were writing slogans for the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, congratulating the Palestinian people on the advent of the Eid. The firing led to martyrdom of Essam Ghaban and his son Allam, may Allah have mercy on their souls, and the injury of the child Abdul Rahman Ahmed in his head. We immediately contacted the Fatah leadership that promised to contain the accident. Yet some of Fatah members insisted on proceeding with attempts to ignite strife with the aim of crumbling the agreement that was reached between us and brothers in the Fatah Movement. They started reiterating slogans against the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and its leaders and fired at mosques. A group of them headed to house of Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi and fired at it yet people repelled them so they fled the area. They also headed to houses of Eng. Ismail Abu Shanab and Dr. Ahmed Bahar.

We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, realizing that the incident was deliberate, would like to explain the following:

First: We affirm that we will exercise the highest degree of self-restraint to foil those who wish to harm inter-Palestinian concord.

Second: We appeal to all honorable people in this country to resist the rogues who only direct their bullets at our people’s revolting citizens and they have caused the death of scores of those citizens.

Third: We ask the Palestinian Authority to try those people who committed this heinous murder and to pass against them the severest possible punishment so that the series of killing citizens would stop.

Fourth: We declare our backing to the family of Ghaban until it achieves its right in full from the criminal killers.

The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
Wednesday 4^th December 2002AD
29^th Ramadan 1423H