Terrorists firing Qassam rockets (archive)
Photo: AP
Terrorist gets 25-year jail term for firing Qassams
Member of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades who launched rockets at Israel on number of occasions, helped terrorists who wounded two soldiers receives prison sentence after being convicted in plea bargain. Judges: Convicted took part in 'death chain' that damages Israel's security
The Beersheba District Court sentenced a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip to 25 years in prison for firing Qassam rockets at Israel and helping to transport terrorists who wounded two soldiers.
The indictment indicates that Mamdouh al-Tanaa, 25, is an active member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military arm of Fatah. In 2006, he fired rockets from the water tower near Erez Crossing into Israel together with other members of his group. In another instance, he fired rockets together with his partners at IDF soldiers near Beit Lahiya.
The amended indictment also revealed that in June 2007 he arranged to carry out a suicide attack together with other activists. Al-Tanaa aided the terrorists in their training, which included how to jump over a wall with a ladder so they could infiltrate Israel.
Two months later, once the two also underwent shooting and grenade-throwing training, the defendant transported the two to the water tower at Erez Crossing. Al-Tanaa and his partners carried a ladder, Kalashnikov rifles, and explosive devices. The defendant helped the suicide attackers assemble the ladder once they reached the border fence with the objective of killing soldiers and farmers.
After the terrorists crossed the border, the defendant and another partner in crime left the scene. The two terrorists entered Israel and threw hand grenades at an IDF patrol that approached them. The two also opened fire on the soldiers, wounding two of them. The two terrorists were then killed by IDF fire.
As part of a plea bargain reached between the prosecution and the defense counsel, al-Tanaa confessed to the allegations made against him and was convicted on a number of counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses. The prosecution noted that they spoke with the soldiers wounded in one of his operations prior to reaching the plea bargain, and they did oppose the deal.
A panel of three judges, headed by Judge Revital Yafa-Katz, Judge Ariel Vago, and Judge Yoram Zelkovnik accepted the plea bargain. They wrote in their opinion: "The defendant took an active part in 'the chain of death' that damages the country's security. His actions caused physical harm to IDF soldiers. The murderous terrorist struggle necessitates his punishment under the full force of the law."
