Hamas says member killed in Damascus home

Reuters reports: Hamas said on Thursday that one of its members, Kamal Husni Ghanaja, had been killed in his home in Damascus and that it was trying to find who was behind what the Palestinian Islamist group described as a “cowardly murder”.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said in a statement that it was trying “to identify the party behind the deplorable crime”, but did not immediately accuse Israel, its long-time enemy, of involvement in the killing.

A Palestinian source with ties to Hamas said Ghanaja’s charred body was found in a cupboard above the ceiling of his ransacked apartment in the Qudsia neighborhood of Damascus. A Hamas source said there were marks of torture on his body.

“The charred, scarred, body was concealed in a ceiling closet and a fire had engulfed the house which apparently the assassins had started,” said the source. The body was found on Wednesday, but most indications suggested Ghanaja was killed a day earlier, the source said.

Hamas’ political bureau abandoned Damascus some time ago and the organization has aligned itself with the uprising. It’s not too hard to guess who is the most likely culprit behind this murder. No, not Israel.

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