Wa'el Nassar
Encyclopedia
Wa'el Nassar was an active member and one of the senior leaders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
, the military wing of Palestinian
Islamist movement Hamas
, until his assassination by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on May 30, 2004, in Gaza City.
, which claimed the lives of at least two soldiers.
Identified as a top leader of the brigades by 1995, Wa'el Nassar prepared to carry out a suicide bombing, but failed to infiltrate Israel
and his plan was foiled. Placed on the list of people to kill or arrest by the IDF, Nassar was chased by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was at that time engaged in a peace process with Israel, and arrested in 1996 by the PA. He was then placed in administrative detention and was released at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada
.
Living clandestinely in Gaza
, Wa'el Nassar then recovered as a top leader of Hamas' brigades and led many cells of terrorists which carried out several sophisticated and lethal attacks against Israeli settlers and soldiers in Gaza. From 2000 to his death, Nassar directed operations that claimed, according to Hamas and IDF sources, the lives of at least 27 Israeli soldiers or civilians.
Injured in 2001, when the mortar crew he led was hit by an Israeli missile fired from a helicopter, he recovered and masterminded several important terrorist operations. Among others, Nassar planned the suicide bombing carried out by Reem El-Reyashi on January 14, 2004, the first ever Hamas' female suicide bomber
, which killed four Israeli soldiers at the Erez checkpoint
north of the Gaza Strip. He was also blamed for the March 21, 2004, bombing of Ashdod, in southern Israel, which claimed the lives of 10 civilians and triggered an IDF reprisal which killed Hamas' spiritual leader and founder, sheik Ahmed Yasin. He was also identified by Israel to have recruited Canadian citizen Jerome Fortin, a member of Ezzedeen-al-qassam's security branch.
Actively searched for by Israel, Nassar, living in hiding, continued to lead groups of Hamas fighters and was reportedly in charge of the cell that detonated a powerful bomb under an Israeli armoured personnel carrier
(APC) in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, which killed 6 IDF soldiers during an Israeli incursion on May 12, 2004. Nassar's cell then collected body parts of the killed soldiers and exchanged them to Israel following their display in video. Vowing to avenge the soldier's deaths, Israel marked Nassar for death and actively searched for his whereabouts. On May 30, 2004, Wa'el Nassar was riding a motorcycle in Zeitun following an operation against an Israeli settlement when an IDF drone
fired a missile at the vehicle, killing him and his assistant Mohammed Sarsour, as well as a bystander.
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
, the military wing of Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Islamist movement Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, until his assassination by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on May 30, 2004, in Gaza City.
History
Nassar, a devout Muslim, joined the ranks of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in 1992 soon after the creation of the group. Early on he became personal bodyguard of Ahmed Yassi, one of the founders of Hamas and one of its spiritual leaders. He quickly took charge of a small group of militants and led several attacks against the IDF in the Gaza stripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, which claimed the lives of at least two soldiers.
Identified as a top leader of the brigades by 1995, Wa'el Nassar prepared to carry out a suicide bombing, but failed to infiltrate Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and his plan was foiled. Placed on the list of people to kill or arrest by the IDF, Nassar was chased by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was at that time engaged in a peace process with Israel, and arrested in 1996 by the PA. He was then placed in administrative detention and was released at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
.
Living clandestinely in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, Wa'el Nassar then recovered as a top leader of Hamas' brigades and led many cells of terrorists which carried out several sophisticated and lethal attacks against Israeli settlers and soldiers in Gaza. From 2000 to his death, Nassar directed operations that claimed, according to Hamas and IDF sources, the lives of at least 27 Israeli soldiers or civilians.
Injured in 2001, when the mortar crew he led was hit by an Israeli missile fired from a helicopter, he recovered and masterminded several important terrorist operations. Among others, Nassar planned the suicide bombing carried out by Reem El-Reyashi on January 14, 2004, the first ever Hamas' female suicide bomber
Female suicide bomber
Though the majority of suicide bombers have been male, female suicide bombers have carried out a number of attacks.-History:Female suicide bombers have been employed in several conflicts, by a variety of organizations, against both military and civilian targets.*In Lebanon on April 9, 1985, Sana'a...
, which killed four Israeli soldiers at the Erez checkpoint
Erez Crossing
The Erez Crossing is a pedestrian/cargo terminal on the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. It is located in the northern end of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Israel.It is part of a complex formerly including the Erez Industrial Park....
north of the Gaza Strip. He was also blamed for the March 21, 2004, bombing of Ashdod, in southern Israel, which claimed the lives of 10 civilians and triggered an IDF reprisal which killed Hamas' spiritual leader and founder, sheik Ahmed Yasin. He was also identified by Israel to have recruited Canadian citizen Jerome Fortin, a member of Ezzedeen-al-qassam's security branch.
Actively searched for by Israel, Nassar, living in hiding, continued to lead groups of Hamas fighters and was reportedly in charge of the cell that detonated a powerful bomb under an Israeli armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
(APC) in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, which killed 6 IDF soldiers during an Israeli incursion on May 12, 2004. Nassar's cell then collected body parts of the killed soldiers and exchanged them to Israel following their display in video. Vowing to avenge the soldier's deaths, Israel marked Nassar for death and actively searched for his whereabouts. On May 30, 2004, Wa'el Nassar was riding a motorcycle in Zeitun following an operation against an Israeli settlement when an IDF drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
fired a missile at the vehicle, killing him and his assistant Mohammed Sarsour, as well as a bystander.