Gaza sniper Muhammad Abu Amshah

Indictment: Terrorist Gaza sniper left Strip for eye treatment

Muhammad Abu Amshah from Beit Henoun was given humanitarian permit to leave Gaza for eye treatment in West Bank, only to improve vision ahead of planned shooting attack aimed at IDF

Yoav Zitun|Published: 12.26.13 , 17:30

An indictment was filed Thursday with the Beersheba District Court against Muhammad Abu Amshah, a terror activist who planned a shooting attack in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Amshah, 32-year-old from Beit Hanoun, was given a humanitarian permit to leave the Gaza Strip in order to receive medical treatment in his eyes at a Ramallah hospital. However, in his Shin Bet interrogation, it became clear that the medical condition in his eyes was in the way of his scheme to shoot IDF forces patrolling along the Gaza Strip border fence.

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The activist was arrested earlier this month by the Shin Bet and police upon leaving, as part of his permit, from the Erez Crossing to Ramallah. According to the Shin Bet, Abu Amshah admitted in his questioning that was intended to be a sniper within the framework of a planned attack by the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades against IDF forces near the Gaza border. He even underwent training exercises for the job. However an injury he sustained harmed his vision, and he planned to treat the injury prior to conducting the attack.

The Shin Bet further claim that Abu Amshah was involved in numerous terrorist activities aimed at civilians and IDF forces from within the Gaza Strip in recent years.

"The State of Israel allows every month the entry of thousands of Gaza Strip residents into Israel for humanitarian and medical needs, but sometimes terrorists cynically exploit these permits, and use them to transfer terror funds and illegally stay in Israel," the Shin Bet stated.

The indictment charges Abu Amshah with counts of attempted murder, contact with foreign agents and conspiring to commit murder. The cell through which Abu Amshah operated is apparently unrelated to the shooting attack that took place on Tuesday, in which an Israeli worker was killed while taking part in Gaza security fence repair work.