2001 strike in Nablus
Photo: Reuters
Mahmoud Abu-Hanoud
Photo: AP
Hamas operative arrested 6 years after being declared dead
Palestinian Authority detains former commander of Hamas' military wing in Nablus after declaring him dead in 2001 IDF strike; Hamas issues statement slamming PA for collaborating with Israel
The Palestinian Authority arrested the former commander of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank more than six years after he was declared dead, Ynet has learned. The operation that ended in Rajab al-Sharif's arrest took place on Saturday.
In May of 2001 Hamas claimed al-Sharif had been killed in an Air Force strike on Jneid Prison in Nablus. The strike targeted Mahmoud Abu-Hanoud, a senior Hamas operative responsible for a number of terror attacks in Israel, resulting in the deaths of 12 Palestinian police officers.
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Abu-Hanoud, who was considered a protégé of al-Sharif, escaped the strike but was killed by the IDF a year and a half later. After the bombing of the prison he met with al-Sharif's family and notified them of his death.
A year later, during Israel's 'Operation Defensive Shield', al-Sharif's family reported that he had been killed in the Israeli air strike of 2001. They constructed a mourning tent and the PA declared him a martyr.
In November the IDF received intelligence that al-Sharif was still alive and raided the family's home, demanding his surrender. The raid prompted a PA investigation, which concluded that he was indeed still alive, and frequented the home of his family.
After al-Sharif's arrest on Saturday Hamas declared the PA responsible for his well-being. "The Authority's gangs arrested al-Sharif in coordination with the IDF and Israeli security," the group said in a statement.
Hamas claimed Palestinian security officials celebrated the arrest by singing and tooting horns in the streets of Nablus. The group said the celebration was "a knife in the back of the Palestinian resistance and a service to the Israelis."
