Tayseer al-Jabari

Tayseer Mahmoud al-Jabari (Arabic:تيسير محمود الجعبري; January 18, 1972 – August 5, 2022) was a Palestinian militant and senior commander of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement. He succeeded Baha Abu al-Ata as the brigades' commander in the northern Gaza Strip, holding that position from the former's assassination in 2019 until his own assassination in 2022, which sparked the 2022 Gaza–Israel clashes.

Tayseer Mahmoud al-Jabari
Native name	تيسير محمود الجعبري
Nickname(s)	Abu Mahmoud (kunya)
Born	18 January 1972
Died	5 August 2022 (Assassinated by Israel)
Battles/wars	Gaza-Israel conflict: 2012 2014 May 2019 November 2019 2021
Alma mater	Islamic University of Gaza

Early life

Tayseer Mahmoud al-Jabari was born on 18 January 1972. His family, the al-Jabari family, is also the family of assassinated al-Qassam Brigades leader Ahmed Jabari. His family lives in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in the Gaza Strip.^[1]

In the PIJ

According to Al Jazeera, Al-Jabari joined the PIJ in his childhood, and was a leader in the "Islamic League," the student wing of the PIJ. He graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza, specializing in the Shari'a, or Islamic Law.^[2]

Oslo Years

Further information: Oslo Accords

Al-Jabari is described as a founder of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the PIJ. He was an opponent of signing the Oslo accords, and was arrested several times by Palestinian Security Services in the years following the signing of the agreement.^[3]

Second Intifada

Further information: Second Intifada

Al-Jabari was a leader in the al-Quds Brigades during the Second Intifada, also known as Al-Aqsa Intifada,^[4] and was responsible for multiple attacks on Israeli targets, including civilians.^[5]

Assassination attempts

Al-Jabari was a leader in the al-Quds brigades during the Gaza–Israel conflict. He was a target in two assassination attempts by the Israeli Military in the clashes of 2012 and 2014.^[6][7]

Commander in the Northern Gaza Strip

Further information: Gaza-Israel clashes (November 2019)

Al-Jabari was an assistant to Baha Abu al-Ata, the commander of the al-Quds Brigades in the Northern region of the Gaza strip. He replaced Abu al-Ata after he was killed by Israeli forces in November 2019.^[8][9]

2021 Gaza-Israel clashes

Further information: 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis

In the 11-day Gaza-Israel clashes in 2021, al-Jabari was responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). During that conflict, a PIJ cell led by him targeted an Israeli car traveling near the Gaza border, wounding one.^[10]

Assassination

A video showing the targeted killing of Tayseer al-Jabari.

Main article: 2022 Gaza–Israel clashes

See also: Targeted killings by the Israel Defense Forces

On 5 August 2022, Israel launched a military operation against the PIJ in the Gaza strip, which commenced with an airstrike that killed Tayseer al-Jabari.^[11] An Israeli military spokesman said that the attack came following the detection "threatening movements by militant forces."^[12]

The assassination of al-Jabari led to clashes that lasted for 66 hours and ended in a ceasefire.^[13] During the clashes, the PIJ targeted several Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Ashkelon.^[14]

References

1. "من هو تيسير الجعبري الذي استهدفته إسرائيل في غزة؟". فرانس 24 / France 24 (in Arabic). 2022-08-06. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
2. "اغتالته إسرائيل بعد فشلها مرتين.. تفاصيل من حياة الشهيد تيسير الجعبري". 1-a1072.azureedge.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-11-05.
3. Fatima, Sakina (2022-08-06). "Tayseer Al-Jabari: The man killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
4. KO (2022-08-06). "Explosive Situation in Gaza Following Friday's Bloodbath". Kashmir Observer. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
5. "What is the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad? - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
6. zayed, Sara (2022-08-05). "من هو تيسير الجعبري الذي اغتالته إسرائيل في غزة؟". جريدة الغد (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-11-05.
7. "من هو تيسير الجعبري الذي اغتاله الجيش الإسرائيلي في غزة؟". Watan (in Arabic). 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
8. "Who was Tayseer al-Jabari, the Islamic Jihad chief killed by Israel?". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
9. "قناة إسرائيلية: سرايا القدس تختار تيسير الجعبري بديلًا لبهاء أبو العطا". امد للاعلام. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
10. "Tayseer al-Jabari". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
11. Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF releases footage of airstrike that killed PIJ commander Tayseer Jabari". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
12. "Israeli strikes in Gaza kill senior militant leader, at least 9 others". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
13. Fabian, Emanuel. "Operation Breaking Dawn was a tactical success, but won't be last round of fighting". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
14. Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Lubell, Maayan; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (2022-08-08). "Israel and Palestinian militants declare Gaza truce". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-11-05.