In Gaza City, Israeli forces yesterday assassinated four Palestinian members of Hamas including a man identified by The New York Times as Hamas’ chief operations officer. The Washington Post reports a U.S.-made helicopter was used to gun down the Palestinian men as they were driving.

The killings came just hours after Israel acknowledged that the Palestinian leadership was cracking down on militants. The Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, had told Israeli reporters: “For the first time the Palestinian Authority is acting and doing something. If this is a first step in a series of steps, then maybe the situation will stabilize.”

On Friday after tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to mourn the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab.

Also on Friday, President Bush took steps to block funding to Hamas by freezing the assets of six members and five charities that the U.S. claims finances Hamas.