4 August 2002

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

Qassam Brigades military communiqué

“It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest, it was not thy act, but Allah's…”

Second reprisal in the long series of retaliatory strikes

Our Mujahid Palestinian people … our Arab and Muslim Ummah:

With the grace of Allah the Qassam Brigades declare responsibility of the sons of the general commander the martyr Sheikh Salah Shehada over the Jihad martyrdom operation in the usurped city of Haifa at 8 am this morning Sunday 25^th Jumada Awal 1423H – 4/8/2002AD. One of the martyrdom commandos, identity of which not to be declared at present, mounted one of the Zionist usurpers’ buses. He blasted himself in the bus that was crowded with Zionist soldiers.

The Qassam Brigades declare the second reprisal act for the martyrs of the Gaza massacre topped by general commander Sheikh Salah Shehada and his assistant the commander Zaher Nassar. We affirm that our retaliatory strike today was the response to the UN report and we assert that “Israeli” demolition of houses of commandos and campaign of arrests would be met with escalation of martyrdom operations and strikes everywhere.

To Zionist invaders:

Whoever wishes to survive let him return from where he came and thence we would not target him. We have decided to target you everywhere on the land of Palestine in your universities, schools, institutions, markets, gathering areas and residential quarters. Your army left us no other choice but to blast you everywhere. You have closed down our universities, prevented our students from sitting to their exams, closed our institutions, destroyed our hospitals, killed our elderly and children, even the unborn babies were killed at your roadblocks. You have targeted our houses and committed all crimes possible against us. You have left us no other choice but to retaliate in kind. Your chief terrorist Sharon had promised you security but the number of those killed in his reign of power was the biggest since establishment of your terrorist state.

Our Mujahid Palestinian people … our Arab and Muslim Ummah:

We vow before Allah then you to continue the march until Allah awards us either victory or martyrdom. We will not back one inch as we have promised our commander Abu Mustafa to remain loyal to blood of martyrs until return of Palestine to its legitimate indigenous people. We also invite you to wait for our next reprisal that would humiliate Zionists and heal the breasts of believers.

And it is a Jihad until either victory or martyrdom

Qassam Brigades
Sons of martyr general commander Sheikh Salah Shehada
25^th Jumada Awal 1423H
4/8/2002AD