Emad Akel also spelled Imad Akel (Arabic: عماد عقل, 1971–1993) was a commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He was killed by the Israel Defense Forces.
Emad Akel | |
|---|---|
| عماد عقل | |
| Born | 19 June 1971 |
| Died | 24 November 1993 (aged 22) |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Palestinian Authority (Hamas) |
| Service | Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades |
Biography
editEmad was born on 19 June 1971[1] in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the northern Gaza Strip, to a family who immigrated there after the 1948 war from the village of Barair (Arabic: برعير), near Al-Majdal,[2] where Ashkelon is today.
According to his older brother Adel, Emad was more interested in geography than in politics. He was reportedly the most academic student in the class at his elementary school and then assistant to his teacher in preparatory school. Some of his relatives were arrested, including his cousin Walid. Distant relatives were killed by Israeli troops in firefights. Afterward, he joined Hamas. On 23 September 1988, Emad and his brother were arrested for their Hamas membership.[3]
After being released from prison, he became a fighter in the Gaza Strip. He became known as "the ghost" for his many disguises, including dressing up as a Jewish settler with a skullcap. In the early 1990s, Akel topped Israel's most wanted list for his suspected role in killing 11 Israeli soldiers, an Israeli civilian and four Palestinian informants in a series of attacks. According to his brother, Emad noted in 1991, "The Israelis are after me and they will go on following me until I fight back and then I will die at their hands and, for this reason, I will go to paradise."[3]
Akel was a commander and mentor of Mohammed Deif, who followed Akel as the commander of the al-Qassam Brigades in 1993.[4]
Death
editOn 24 November 1993, a Palestinian informant reported Akel's location to the Israel Defense Forces. Akel was hiding with other Hamas soldiers in a house in Shuja'iyya in the Gaza Strip. After several hours of the siege of the neighborhood, Akel tried to escape and was immediately shot by Israeli soldiers. At the time of his death, journalist Robert Fisk called Akel "the most important Hamas activist ever shot dead by the Israeli army." Israeli soldiers buried Akel in a cemetery in the Jabalia Camp. To avoid demonstrations by supporters of Akel, they carried out the burial at night.[3]
In 1995, Hamas arrested senior member Walid Hamdiya for providing information to Israel that led to the death of Akel and four other senior Hamas military leaders. In 2002, Hamdiya was sentenced to death by firing squad.[5]
Legacy
editIn 2009, Hamas released a biopic celebrating Akel's life and martyrdom.[6] The film was written by Hamas strongman Mahmoud al-Zahar and the interior minister, Fathi Hamad.[7] Majed Jundiyeh is the director of the film.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "حرب غزة: من هم أبرز قادة حماس الذين "اغتالتهم" اسرائيل؟". BBC News (in Arabic). 15 October 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Imad Akl: the masked man with the "seven souls"". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Fisk, Robert (9 November 1993). "Hamas mourns its greatest martyr: Robert Fisk in Marj al-Zohour, southern Lebanon, hears how a Palestinian came to die for the Islamic 'revolution' in Israel". The Independent. London. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ al-Mughrabi, Nidal (14 August 2014). "Deep underground, Mohammed Deif shapes Hamas war with Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Palestinian Authority: Death Penalty". Amnesty International. 21 October 2002. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Gaza's second feature film revisits resistance theme" (PDF). Kuwait Times. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ Viviane Saglier (2019). Paradoxical Economies: A Time for Palestinian Cinema (PhD thesis). Concordia University. p. 200.