Youths' Suicide Mission Stuns Palestinians

April 25 -- The militant Hamas made an unusualappeal to Palestinian teenagers in Gaza not to try to infiltrateJewish settlements, after three youths were killed by Israelisoldiers in a failed attempt.

The Islamic resistance movement issued a statement Wednesday urging Palestinian youngsters to "remember that their lives areprecious and should not be sacrificed."

Late Tuesday, Israeli soldiers discovered three Palestinianstrying to infiltrate the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in centralGaza and shot them dead, the military said. Palestinians said theywere boys — two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old.

Hamas has claimed responsibility for many of the dozens ofsuicide bombing attacks carried out in Israel, the West Bank andGaza Strip during nearly 19 months of Palestinian-Israeli violence.Most of the bombers were men in their early 20s.

The statement, signed by Ismail Hanyea, spokesman for Hamasspiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, said, "We have called on theteachers and religious leaders to spread the message of restraintamong young boys."

Hamas described theactions of the schoolboys as a "national catastrophe."

There have been almost nightly attempts by Palestinians toinfiltrate Jewish settlements in Gaza over the past two weeks. OnMarch 29, a Palestinian entered Netzarim and stabbed two Israelisto death.

During Israel's large-scale military operation in the West Bank,which began March 29 after a series of Palestinian suicide bombingattacks, Gaza has been relatively calm.

‘Oh Mother, Please Be Happy With Me’

School over for the day, the three boys told their unsuspecting parents theywere off to see friends. Hours later, their bullet-riddled bodies were lying in thedirt outside a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.

Suicide notes left by the classmates showed theyknew the venture would end in their deaths.

The Israeli army said the boys, named by relatives asYoussef Zaqout, Anwar Hamdouna and Ismail Abu Nadi, had beencarrying home-made pipe bombs, an axe and knives.