Israel Resource Review |
24th June, 2005 |
Contents:
Fatah Continues to Dispatch
Teenagers fo Kill . . .
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
[At a time when almost all attention about terrorism is directed to Hamas, this official report speaks for itself - db]
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June 19, 2005
Fatah operatives in Nablus continue to dispatch teenagers to terrorist missions, including suicide bombing attacks. This, despite harsh condemnations issued against the phenomenon in the past. A recently-discovered Fatah Tanzim cell in Nablus recruited teenagers for carrying out terrorist attacks inside Israeli territory. Among the arrested cell members were wanted terrorists who operated under the guidance and instruction of the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon
Recently, the Israel Security Agency (ISA) in conjunction with IDF forces arrested a Fatah Tanzim cell that operated in the Balata and Askar refugee camps in Nablus . The cell was in the final stages of preparation for carrying out a suicide bombing attack inside Israeli territory.
The cell recruited several teenagers aged 15-16 to carry out the terrorist attacks. Some of the detained cell m em bers operated under the guidance and instruction of the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon . Samir Ahmed Hassan Hashash, a 20-year-old resident of the Balata refugee camp, and Mahmoud Hamdan Abd al-Hadi Shtiwi, a 17-year-old resident of the Balata refugee camp, were among those cell m em bers responsible for the recruitment of underage suicide bombers.
Among the detainees were four operatives in charge of
recruitment and four minors. Following are the names of the
recruited teenagers as well as descriptions of the missions
assigned to each.
A 15-year-old resident of the old Askar refugee camp: recruited
by the cell to carry out a suicide bombing attack inside Israeli
territory. In January 2005, he approached a Fatah Tanzim
operative named Muhammad Walid Abd al-Fattah Naqib and
volunteered to carry out a suicide bombing attack in order to
become a martyr like his friend, Amar al-Far, who had
perpetrated the suicide bombing attack in the Carmel Market 2.
A 15-year-old resident of the new Askar refugee camp was
arrested with another 16-year-old minor: recruited two months
ago to carry out a suicide bombing attack for Fatah Tanzim
operatives in the Balata refugee camp. The objective of the
terrorist attack was to assassinate an officer and three
soldiers at an IDF checkpoint. A questioning of the two minors
revealed that one of th em had been filmed in the Balata refugee
camp, reading his last will and testament, with a picture of
Khalil Marshoud in the background. Marshoud was a terrorist
killed during a suicide terrorist attack in June 2004. The youth
stated that ' Alaa' Sanakreh, leader of the Fatah Tanzim in
Balata, was aware he had been recruited 3.
A 16-year-old resident of the new Askar refugee camp: two weeks
prior to his arrest, he was recruited by operatives from the
Balata refugee camp to carry out a suicide bombing attack
planned to take place inside Israeli territory. He turned
himself in to IDF soldiers following the arrest of the other
15-year-old at the Hawara checkpoint, primarily out of fear his
house would be demolished.
Muhammad Hashash, a 17-year-old resident of Balata, along with other youths from the Balata refugee camp, attempted to recruit an additional teenager to carry out a suicide bombing attack. After the minor refused, the group convinced him to carry out a terrorist attack against IDF soldiers at the Hawara checkpoint in the vicinity of Nablus . While he was attempting to activate two explosive charges, the soldiers noticed him and uncovered the two charges concealed on his body.
The discovery of the cell is yet another proof that despite the
lull in the fighting, Fatah operatives continue recruiting,
planning and att em pting to carry out terrorist attacks,
including suicide bombing attacks. The case at hand is yet
another d em onstration of the cynical use made by Fatah Tanzim
operatives of teenagers for carrying out terrorist attacks. It
should be noted that since the beginning of 2005, Israeli
security forces arrested over 50 teenagers under the age of 18
involved in terrorist activity. It should also be noted that in
the past two months, we have been witness to 15 cases of
teenagers under the age of 18 involved in att em pts to carry
out terrorist attacks (including suicide bombing attacks) and
smuggle arms and ammunition through IDF checkpoints throughout
the West Bank.
It should be mentioned that the phenomenon of using teenagers
for terrorist missions draws harsh criticism from terrorist
operatives as well as Palestinian residents of Nablus , where
the phenomenon is most prevalent. Worth mentioning in this
context are the past cond em nations issued in the wake of the
arrest of two teenagers carrying explosives at the Hawara
checkpoint (May 22, May 24, 2005): most of the cond em nations
were issued by senior Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Fatah)
operatives (who had previously dispatched numerous teenagers to
terrorist missions) and by the teenagers' own parents 4.
However, the uncovered case d em onstrates that despite the cond
em nations, these operatives continue to dispatch teenagers to
terrorist missions, including suicide bombing attacks.
Condemnations in Nablus against the recent incident
In the wake of the current affair, Al-Sharq al-Awsat, a
London-based Saudi daily newspaper, published (June 18, 2005)
cond em nations and protests by some elements in Nablus:
A leaflet was distributed in the Nablus region by some of the
residents who oppose the terrorist organizations' practice of
sending Palestinian children to carry out terrorist attacks
against Israel . The residents pointed out that such acts were
criminal and that they were severely detrimental to the
interests of the Palestinian people and to the children's souls.
The residents demanded such acts be halted immediately.
One of the residents who signed the leaflet told an Al-Sharq
al-Awsat reporter that the leaflet was the cry of a thousand
Palestinian families who fear for the fate of their children
because of these acts. The resident claimed that the gunmen's
strategy was to accuse the children of being Israel 's agents,
"followed by a d em and to restore their good names by carrying
out acts against Israel …"
Mahmoud al-Alloul, the Governor of Nablus, stated that these
children were "reckless youths" vying for attention or
expressing their anger over the occupation without having
anything to do with any organization. The improvised explosive
belts captured in their possession are, as stated by Al-Alloul,
testimony to that. He added that he did not believe 'Alaa'
Sanakreh [who was aware of the recruitment of one of the
teenagers in the current affair] stood behind these acts, since
he supported the lull in the fighting.
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