A woman who identified herself as Um al-Abed told reporters in Gaza City that so far about 100 women had expressed their desire to carry out suicide attacks against Israel. She claimed that she was a spokeswoman for the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah.

The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, she added, recently established a secret military unit for female suicide bombers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. "We have so far recruited 100 women for the new unit," Um al-Abed said as she sat next to several masked women who identified themselves as members of Fatah.

"We are expecting more female suicide bombers. The new unit is now preparing to launch attacks against Israel in response to the Israeli aggression and crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip."

Since September 2000, Palestinian women have carried out seven suicide bombings inside Israel in which 37 people were killed and more than 250 injured. The most serious attack was launched in October 2003 by Hanadi Jaradat, an Islamic Jihad woman from Jenin, who detonated herself at the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa. The attack left 21 civilians dead and 48 wounded.

Four of the female suicide bombers belonged to Fatah, one to Hamas and two to Islamic Jihad.

Um al-Abed also hinted that the group was planning to target Hamas members who are responsible for attacks on Fatah activists. She pointed out that a senior Fatah militiaman, Haitham Rai, was killed over the weekend in Gaza City apparently by Hamas gunmen...