Israeli warplanes on Wednesday bombed the home of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, wounding him and killing three of his family members, witnesses and hospital officials said.

The bomb hit the Zahar home in Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood, leveling the building and sending huge plumes of smoke into the air. Several adjacent houses were damaged. In all, about 20 people were reported hurt.

Palestinian police were struggling to control an angry crowd that gathered at the scene. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Zahar was hurt in the leg and taken to nearby Shifa Hospital.

The attack came a day after suicide bombers apparently dispatched by Hamas killed 15 Israelis in twin attack at a bus stop crowded with soldiers and at a popular Jerusalem nightspot.

Hamas has stopped short of claiming responsibility for Tuesday's bombings, but has threatened unprecedented revenge for Israel's failed attempt over the weekend to kill several Hamas leaders, including founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, in an air strike.

Israel's military has relentlessly targeted Hamas militants since the group claimed a suicide bombing last month that killed 22 people on a Jerusalem bus. Also Tuesday, Israeli troops in Hebron killed two Hamas members — including the group's leader in the West Bank town — and a 12-year-old bystander, and blew up a seven-story apartment building where the militants were hiding out.

The violence underscored the collapse of U.S.-backed peace efforts and came amid political uncertainty after the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

An increasing number of Israeli officials were calling for the expulsion of Yasser Arafat, and expectations were mounting that Israel will step up military strikes and possibly invade the Gaza Strip — which Israel has not yet reoccupied — to root out the Hamas leadership.

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