Alaa Shreiteh | |
|---|---|
| Native name | علاء أديب عبد الجبار شريتح |
| Birth name | Alaa Adeeb Abdel-Jabbar Shreiteh |
| Born | (1979-12-22)22 December 1979 |
| Died | 4 May 2024(2024-05-04) (aged 44) Deir al-Ghusun, West Bank, Palestine |
| Allegiance |  Palestine Hamas |
| Rank | Military commander |
| Commands | Leader of theAl-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank |
| Battles / wars | Second Intifada Gaza war † |
| Children | 3 |
Alaa Adeeb Abdel-Jabbar Shreiteh[1] (Arabic:علاء أديب عبد الجبار شريتح,romanized: ‘alā’ adeeb ‘abd al jabbar shraytaḥ; 22 December 1979 – 4 May 2024) was aPalestinian militant.[2] Born and raised inTulkarm, he was the head of theAl-Qassam Brigades in theWest Bank until his death.[3][4] Having been imprisoned byIsrael for 14 years until his release in 2016,[5] he led the planning of several Palestinian offensive operations againstIsraeli forces during theGaza war, one of the most notable being theattack on Route 557 in theTulkarm Governorate, which caused several Israeli casualties and was the first recorded Palestinian operation in the West Bank in 20 years, leading to him becoming one of Israel's most wanted until his death in a gunfight in anIsraeli raid onDeir al-Ghusun.[6]
Alaa Adeeb Abdel-Jabbar Shreiteh[1] was born inTulkarm,Palestine, on 22 December 1979, where he grew up and received his education.[3][7]
He was arrested byIsrael on 26 November 2002 for being a member ofHamas and for orchestrating attacks usingimprovised explosive devices during theSecond Intifada. He faced "severe torture" during interrogation as reported by the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies, and was released on 24 March 2016 after spending 14 years in Israeli prison.[8][9]
He married after his release, fathering three children.[10] He later continued his university education in the domain ofIslamic Sharia, which he could not complete due to his death.[3]
He became a military commander in Palestine'sWest Bank,[11][12][13] where he led the planning of various Palestinian military operations against Israel, notably the2 November 2023 attack on Route 557, which was the first Palestinian military operation in the West Bank in 20 years.[14][15] Shreiteh was then pursued by Israel, which raided his home several times before finally killing him on 4 May 2024.[16][17]
At around 11:00 (PSST) on 3 May 2024, Shreiteh and three other members of theAl-Qassam Brigades were surrounded by theIsraeli army in a house in the town ofDeir al-Ghusun in the Tulkarm Governorate, where a violent clash ensued between them, followed by the arrival of Israeli reinforcements with more than 50 military vehicles and fourmilitary bulldozers. The Israeli army kept the house surrounded for 15 hours, during whichair anddrone strikes were called on the house. After fully bulldozing the house with everyone inside with the military bulldozers, Israel announced that it had succeeded in killing Shreiteh and the three other members, alongside a fifth member whose identity remained unknown.[3][18][19][20]
Shreiteh's body was buried in Turkalm on 15 May 2024 with the attendance of thousands of Palestinians[21] after the identity of his body was confirmed through aDNA test. The funeral procession set off from theMartyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital towards his home on Haddadeen Street, where he was given a "last farewell look". He was then transported to the Uthman Ibn Affan Mosque, where prayers were prayed on him, before burying him in the western cemetery.[22][23][24]
