Emad Aqel

(1971 - 1993)

Emad Aqel was a Hamas terrorist.

Aqel was born in the Gaza Strip on July 10, 1971. He completed his secondary school education in 1988. He applied for admission to Al Amal Institute in Gaza to study pharmacology, but was arrested by the Israeli authorities on September 23, 1988. He was tried on charges of affiliation with Hamas and participation in the intifada. He spent 18 months in jail and was released in March 1990. In the academic year 1991/1992, he was admitted in Hitteen College in Amman to study Islamic Sharia, but Israeli officials did not allow him to cross the bridge to Jordan.

In the beginning of 1991 he was nominated as a liaison officer between the "Martyrs group," the first militant group of Al Qassam Brigades, and the Brigades command. The Martyrs group basically specialized in killing Arabs who were deemed to be "collaborators." The group also collected their weapons which were used to attack Israeli civilians and soldiers.

On May 22, 1992, he moved to the West Bank and formed several terror cells there. On November 13, 1992, he returned to Gaza after establishing the military work in the West Bank and after scores of Al Qassam militants in the West Bank were arrested. He refused to leave the Gaza Strip in December 1992.

On November 24, 1993, after two years of pursuit by Israel, the IDF surrounded Shaja'eya quarter in Gaza and Aqel exchanged fire with the soldiers. Several Israeli soldiers were killed in the gun battle as was Aqel.

Sources: Palestine Information Center