Hamas leader: I pray to God for the destruction of all enemies

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the 64-year-old spiritual leader of the radical Hamas movement, yesterday said he "prayed to God every hour of every day for the destruction of every Israeli", and vowed that the 18-day-old conflict would continue.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the 64-year-old spiritual leader of the radical Hamas movement, yesterday said he "prayed to God every hour of every day for the destruction of every Israeli", and vowed that the 18-day-old conflict would continue.

When it was put to him that nearly 90 per cent of those killed since 28 September had been Palestinian, the sheikh said: "It is not always that way. There have been attacks where many Israelis and no Palestinians have died. The struggle will continue by every means until Israel ceases its occupation of our land. This has made our youth more prepared for sacrifices and death. They are the righteous ones."

Sheikh Yassin's fiery words starkly demonstrate the dilemma for Yasser Arafat. Many Palestinians, shocked by the toll of the past fortnight and a half of violence, and suffering from the economic blockade imposed by the Israelis on their areas, want a cease-fire. About a tenth of Gaza's 1.3 million people depend on jobs in Israel, and are estimated to have lost more than $100m in wages after being confined to the territory by Israeli troops. But others, particularly the young firebrands in the streets, welcomed the opportunity to vent their frustration at years of negotiations which appear to have benefited no one outside the Palestinian leadership.

Whatever Mr Arafat does, Hamas stands to benefit. If he is seen to compromise, it will anger those who have been confronting Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships with stones, but if the intifada, or uprising, is allowed to continue, Hamas will use it to promote its Islamic aims. "Hamas knows Arafat is weak, and that he can't fight on two fronts," said a Palestinian source. "On the other hand, Hamas doesn't want to be held responsible for killing peace."

Last week, under the cover of demonstrations against Israel, Islamists burned down a hotel in the wealthy Remal district of Gaza City, within yards of Mr Arafat's residence and the United Nations headquarters. The hotel's co-owner, Basil Eleiwa, said he did not know who was responsible, but the attack appeared to be aimed at exploiting discontent with the Palestinian leadership. Two licensed liquor shops and the homes of their Christian owners were also burnt out. According to one of the shopkeepers, George Tarazi, a Hamas flag was left behind and graffiti, purporting to come from Hamas and calling them "Jewish dogs", was sprayed on a wall.

Speaking in a house off an alleyway in Sabra, a shabby area of Gaza City, Sheikh Yassin denied that Hamas was responsible for the attacks. "All Palestinians are united, and all are determined to continue the intifada," he said. "To speak of a cease-fire is to ask the victim to stop defending himself."

The sheikh, crippled and wheelchair-bound since his youth, continued in his breathy, high-pitched whisper: "I don't fear death. We are seeking martyrdom. Hamas does not mount suicide operations, they are martyrdom operations. If the Israelis fear such operations, they are criminals, because criminals fear justice."

Gaza, battered by Israeli rockets and tanks in retaliation for the lynching of two army reservists in Ramallah last Thursday, was quiet yesterday as its population awaited the outcome of today's Sharm el-Sheikh talks. But the Hamas leader exuded certainty. "If you ask me how I see Israelis, it is purely as enemies," he said.