Palestinian sources in Jenin reported in the early hours of Monday morning that a senior al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades member was killed during exchanges of fire with IDF forces in the West Bank city.
The IDF said Mahmoud Abu el-Hija was armed and that a bomb was hurled at the soldiers during the incident.
According to reports, Abu el-Hija was shot dead during gun battles near Jenin’s community center. Two additional gunmen were injured in the clashes.
Abu el-Hija, dubbed “the tall one”, was considered an explosives expert and a close associate of Zakaria Zubeidi, leader of the al-Aqsa Brigades in Jenin. He was believed by many to be Zubeidi’s deputy.
Last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree prohibiting West Bank residents from carrying illegal arms in the streets.
Zubeidi said the decree "has nothing to do with the Brigades. It's meant for Hamas. Abbas recognizes the Brigades as a legitimate source of resistance."
Nablus Nasser Abu-Aziz, the spokesman for Fatah’s armed wing in Nablus said, “No one from Abbas' office ever asked us to disarm. We will never disarm until all issues are settled, including a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Jerusalem and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees."
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