Security forces in Gaza are searching for terrorists believed responsible for last night’s murder of a Catholic priest and other recent political assassinations, including an attempt two weeks ago on the life of Gaza’s former Mayor, Rashid Shawa. The priest, Father Hanna el-Nimri, was found shot through the heart on the floor of his tiny flat adjacent to the Catholic church in downtown Gaza this morning.
Father el-Nimri was a member of the Gaza Town Council and was recently elected to the neighborhood committee that is to participate in the election of a new mayor to succeed Shawa. The terrorists regard all persons who participate in the elections as collaborators with the Israeli regime. The police are said to know the identity of the murderers. Father el-Nimri was born on the West Bank and came to Gaza in 1949. He headed the 900-member Catholic community in a town of 120,000 Moslems. He was said to be respected and well-liked by all Gazans.
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