Gaza Strip: Breeding Ground for Radical Terror Groups

by Bassam Tawil  •  November 1, 2017 at 5:00 am

• Hamas is doing its utmost to conceal the truth about ISIS in the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian Authority (PA) is continuing to pretend as if Hamas is headed toward moderation as a result of the "reconciliation" accord.
• Hamas presents itself as the sole and legitimate ruler of the Gaza Strip and as if it is in full control of the Gaza Strip.
• If the "reconciliation" agreement is implemented, Majed Faraj, commander of the PA General Intelligence, and considered a strong candidate to succeed Abbas in the West Bank, will soon find himself working with his Gaza Strip counterpart -- a convicted terrorist who serves as a "general," named Tawfik Abu Na'im.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, visits top Hamas security official Tawfik Abu Na'im at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 27, 2017. (Image source: Mohammad Austaz, Hamas Media Office)

Hamas claims that Israel was behind the attempt on the life of Tawfik Abu Na'im, a top Hamas security official in the Gaza Strip. There is good reason to believe, however, that ISIS was behind the assassination attempt, which took place in the Gaza Strip on October 27.

Abu Na'im, commander of Hamas's security apparatus, was lightly injured when an explosive device hidden beneath his car exploded after Friday prayers in a local mosque. Even before Abu Na'im was rushed to hospital, several Hamas officials and spokesmen publicly held Israel responsible. This claim, of course, came without any evidence to support their charge.

Abu Na'im, who was released from an Israeli prison in 2011 after 23 years behind bars for terror-related offenses, is one of the founders of Hamas's military wing, Ezaddin Al-Qassam.

Since his release and return to the Gaza Strip, Abu Na'im, who holds the rank of "general," has been dubbed the "man of difficult missions."

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