Ahmed Jabari was widely credited as the leading figure in the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, and commanded the 2006 Hamas cross-border raid which resulted in the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
13 Facts About Ahmed Jabari
1.
2.
In 2002, Ahmed Jabari became the acting operational head of Hamas' military wing when Mohammad Deif was seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike.
3.
Ahmed Jabari was the highest-level Hamas official killed in Gaza since the 2008 Gaza War.
4.
Ahmed Jabari was born in 1960 to an activist family based in the Shuja'iyya district of Gaza City that was forced to leave Hebron due to a family blood feud.
5.
Ahmed Jabari graduated from Gaza's Islamic University with a degree in history.
6.
In 1982, Ahmed Jabari was arrested and imprisoned by Israeli authorities when he was a member of the secular Palestinian militant organization Fatah.
7.
On 26 September 2002, after an Israeli airstrike wounded Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's principal armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Ahmed Jabari became the commander and operational head of the military wing at the height of the Second Intifada.
8.
Ahmed Jabari was in charge of overseeing the captivity of Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in 2006 outside of the Gaza Strip; two other soldiers were killed.
9.
Ahmed Jabari was instrumental in enforcing ceasefires from the Palestinian side, which included restricting rival militants groups from firing rockets and missiles.
10.
Ahmed Jabari founded Nur, which is an association to assist 'martyrs and prisoners.
11.
Ahmed Jabari was extremely cautious with his personal safety, very rarely making public appearances and not carrying a telephone.
12.
Ahmed Jabari always used couriers to relay his messages to other Hamas leaders.
13.
The assassination of Ahmed Jabari was precipitated by three days of rocket fire from militants in Gaza against southern Israel.