Interpol to probe Hamas leader's death

Late last month, the founder of the military wing of Hamas Mahmoud al-Mabhuh was discovered dead in a hotel suite in Dubai. Investigators deemed the death natural, but subsequently reclassified it as homicide by electrocution, suffocation or poisoning. The Palestinians immediately blamed Israel. The authorities in Dubai said, they, too, were almost a hundred percent confident that Israeli services were behind the killing. Israel denied the charge.

In the meantime, investigators successfully used surveillance video footage to identify 11 suspects. These gents had entered on fake passports -- six British, three Irish, one French and one German - all drawing on stolen identities, including some in Israel. The UK, Ireland, France and Germany are demanding Israeli explanations. The matter is also before the Interpol.

We have a reaction to this story from the Russian Middle East expert Dr Boris Dolgov:

Dubai publicly accusing Israel  is an indication of hard evidence in its hands. As for Israel's MOSSAD cloak and dagger agency, it routinely eliminates Palestinian activists and militants, but with little to show for this in terms of foreign policy or Middle East peace. (

The political leader of Hamas Khaled Mashaal has already vowed revenge, which may spell yet another spiral of tit-for-tat violence in the Middle East area.

In the latest twist, there have been reports of two Palestinians held by Dubai in the Mabhuh case. Both are believed to be agents of Fatah, the main Palestinian opponent of Hamas.