IDF Kills Hamas Official Just Before Ceasefire

By Yoni Weiss

Senior Hamas figure Mohammed Hamadeh, a released prisoner who was expelled to the Gaza Strip, was killed in recent IDF attacks in the Gaza Strip, as reported over the weekend.

Hamadeh was a spokesperson for Hamas in Yerushalayim, and he frequently expressed anti-Israel sentiments and incited violence. Following his incitement actions, he received a call from a Shin Bet official who told him to stop, but he ignored the warning and called the Shin Bet official a “loser.”

Released from Israeli captivity as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal back in 2011, Hamadeh was deported to the Gaza Strip. Since then, he has become a researcher specializing in Israeli affairs. A few years ago, he was chosen to serve as the spokesperson for the Yerushalayim branch of Hamas, established during the organization’s preparations for Palestinian parliamentary elections.

Despite all warnings, in recent months he continued to speak out against Israel and called on the Palestinians to take violent actions against Israelis.

In August, following clashes on Har Habayis, Hamadeh stated, “An attack on worshippers at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque will not pass, and the occupation will pay the price.” A month later, after a stabbing terror attack in Yerushalayim where two Israelis were wounded, he said, “The stabbing in Jerusalem is part of the natural response to the crimes of the Israeli occupation, in light of the incursions into Al-Aqsa, home demolitions, the war of expulsion, and attacks on the education system.”

After one of the shooting incidents in Huwara in March, where two IDF soldiers were wounded by gunfire from a passing vehicle, he stated, “The Huwara operation is a message challenging the Zionist occupation army. The steadfast town of Huwara continues to resist and respond to the arrogance of the occupation and its settlers. As long as the occupation persists, resistance will continue.”