Wa'el Nassar

Wa'el Nassar (1973–2004) was an active member and one of the senior leaders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, until his assassination by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on 30 May 2004 in Gaza City.

History A devout Muslim, Nassar joined the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in 1992, not long after the organization's founding. Early on he became personal bodyguard of Ahmed Yassin, one of the founders of Hamas and one of its spiritual leaders. He quickly took charge of a small group of militants and led several attacks against the IDF in the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of at least two soldiers.

Identified as a top leader of the brigades by 1995, Nassar prepared to carry out a suicide bombing, but failed to infiltrate Israel and his plan was foiled.

Actively searched for by Israel, Nassar, living in hiding, continued to lead groups of Hamas fighters and was reportedly in charge of the cell that detonated a powerful bomb under an Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood, which killed 6 IDF soldiers during an Israeli incursion on 12 May 2004. Nassar's cell then collected body parts of the killed soldiers and exchanged them to Israel following their display in video. Vowing to avenge the soldier's deaths, Israel marked Nassar for death and actively searched for his whereabouts. On 30 May 2004, Wa'el Nassar was riding a motorcycle in Zeitun following an operation against an Israeli settlement when an IDF drone fired a missile at the vehicle, killing him and his assistant Mohammed Sarsour, as well as a bystander.