RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas crushed an al-Qaeda-inspired group in an hours-long standoff that came to a fiery end when a large explosion killed the radical Muslim group’s leader inside his Gaza home Saturday.
In all, 24 people died in the fighting — including a senior Hamas official who Israel says masterminded the abduction of an Israeli soldier.
The crackdown targeted Jund Ansar Allah, or the Soldiers of the Companions of God, one of a number of small, shadowy groups that are even more radical than Hamas. The confrontation, in which 95 group members were arrested, solidified Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
The fighting broke out late Friday when Hamas security men surrounded a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah on the Egyptian border where about 100 members of Jund Ansar Allah were holed up.
Their leader, Abdel-Latif Moussa, provoked Hamas by declaring Gaza an Islamic emirate during a Friday prayer sermon and warning its leaders against invading his mosque.
The Hamas forces raided the mosque, setting off a gun battle. Moussa escaped with some bodyguards to his home, where another standoff ensued. Early Saturday, an explosion went off as Hamas was trying to persuade Moussa to surrender, said Ihab Ghussein, a Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman.
It is unclear whether Moussa detonated an explosives vest he was wearing or whether it was one of his bodyguards. The blast also killed an Hamas mediator.
