New Hamas order put in place

Meshaal, who heads Hamas’s politburo survived a 1997 Israeli attempt to kill him in Jordan by injecting him with a drug in a botched daylight attack on an Amman street. Israeli security sources believe Meshaal is mostly based in Syria.

Senior Hamas official Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi was named leader of the Palestinian militant group for the Gaza Strip, assuming some of the duties of slain Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin, a militant official said. Sayed Seyam, a Hamas political leader, said that Rantissi, who acts as the group’s chief spokesman, had been given responsibility for the Gaza Strip but not for the West Bank.

Soon after being named Hamas chief, Rantissi vowed on Tuesday that the Palestinian militant group would strike Israelis everywhere following Israel’s assassination of its spiritual leader.

“We will fight them everywhere. We will hit them everywhere. We will chase them everywhere. We will teach them lessons in confrontation,” Rantissi told thousands of mourners gathered in Gaza’s main soccer stadium a day after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was killed in an Israeli missile strike.

Hamas supporters responded chanting, “We will sacrifice our blood and souls for you”. Israel said all Palestinian militant leaders were ‘‘in its sights’’ on Tuesday. ‘‘Everyone is in our sights,’’ Internal Security Minister Tsahi Hanegbi said. ‘‘There is no immunity to anyone.’’ Israel’s Army Chief hinted that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrilla leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah could end up on the hit list, though security sources said there was no immediate plan to kill either.

‘‘I think that judging by their hysterical responses to Yassin’s assassination it appears they realise it is getting closer to them,’’ said General Moshe Yaalon.

Meanwhile, shouting ‘‘revenge, revenge’’ several thousand Israeli Arabs took to the streets of Nazareth on Tuesday to mourn assassinated Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin.

‘‘The assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin will fuel Palestinian resistance, and we defend this resistance because we are part of the Palestinian people,’’ said protester Ghairieh Khawlah. ‘‘This is a sad day for the Islamic nation.’’

The demonstration, organised by Israeli Arab movements ranging from Islamic fundamentalists to supporters of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah group, was part of a day of mourning in Arab towns and villages in the Jewish state. Israeli Cabinet Minister Dan Naveh condemned the protest.

‘‘This demonstration only broadens the wide rift between Jews and Arabs in our country,’’ he told Army Radio.

‘‘I think demonstrations are legitimate but the line here has been crossed,’’ Naveh said. ‘‘Hizbollah, and Yassin personally, were responsible for the murders of innocent people, including Arab citizens of Israel.’’