Mohammed Samer Mahmoud Jaber[a] (1998 – 29 August 2024), better known by his nom de guerre Abu Shujaa,[b] was a Palestinian militant from the Israeli-occupied West Bank.[2] A popular and well-known figure among many Palestinians,[3][4][5] he served as the leader of the Tulkarm Brigade from April 2022 until he was killed in an IDF raid in August 2024.
Abu Shujaa | |
|---|---|
محمد سامر محمود جابر | |
| Born | Mohammed Samer Mahmoud Jaber 1998 |
| Died | 29 August 2024 (aged 26)[1] Tulkarm Camp, Tulkarm Governorate, Palestine |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Occupation | Militant |
Biography
Jaber was born in Nur Shams, Tulkarm Governorate, in 1998.[5][6][7] His family was originally from Haifa but had been displaced during the 1948 Palestine war.[7] He began his participation in anti-Israel militant activities at an early age, and was arrested multiple times by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[5]
In 2022, he co-founded the Tulkarm Brigade alongside its first leader, Saif Abu Labdeh.[7] He assumed command of the Brigade after Labdeh was killed on 2 April 2022.[7] During his period of leadership, membership in the Brigade significantly increased.[5]
He used to be personally aligned with Fatah but left the party and joined Palestinian Islamic Jihad after the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.[2]
A key figure wanted by the Israeli authorities,[8] Jaber participated in planning and executing multiple attacks against Israeli targets, including a June 2024 shooting that killed an Israeli civilian in Qalqilya.[1] He was injured by Israeli raids into Tulkarm in December 2023, and was later thought to have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during one of their raids into Tulkarm in April 2024, but later surfaced attending a funeral for multiple slain Palestinian fighters.[4][8]
The 26 July 2024 Tulkarm confrontations were sparked after the security forces of the Palestinian Authority attempted to arrest Jaber while he was hospitalized after being injured by an explosive device. Local crowds of Palestinians intervened and forced the security forces to withdraw.[9]
On 29 August 2024, the YAMAM (Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit)[10][11] killed Jaber and four other militants during fighting inside and around a mosque in Tulkarm, part of the ongoing large-scale Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank. The military operation, which began a day before, is an escalation of the Israeli incursions into the region since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas offered condolences for Jaber's death.[1]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c Hendrix, Steve; Parker, Claire; Timsit, Annabelle; Hudson, John; Taha, Sufian (29 August 2024). "Israel kills one of most wanted West Bank commanders as operation continues". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ a b Erlanger, Steven; Ponomarev, Sergey (1 July 2024). "Palestinian Fighters in West Bank Seek to Emulate Hamas in Gaza". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Israel says it 'eliminated' local Palestinian commander in West Bank military operation". France 24. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Israel Military Says It Killed More West Bank Militants". TIME. Associated Press. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "بعد مطاردة استمرت عامين.. تفاصيل اغتيال الاحتلال لـ'أبو شجاع'". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "Abu Shujaa: The Targeted Operation Against a Palestinian Resistance Leader". LBCIV7. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d admin (29 August 2024). "'Resistance Will Continue' – Life and Legacy of Mohammed Jaber 'Abu Shujaa'". Palestine Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Palestinian commander thought to be dead resurfaces in West Bank funeral". The New Arab. 22 April 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "Iran Update, July 26, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 26 July 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Tulkarm and Jenin: 12 terrorists eliminated, 10 arrested in counterterror operation". Israel National News. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Israel, David (29 August 2024). "Israel Kills Tulkarem Chief of Islamic Jihad on Day 2 of Operation Summer Camps". Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.