Tel al-Hawa, Gaza (3:35 A.M.) – Hamas has disclosed that one of its senior members, Mazen Pokha, was assassinated in the late evening of the 24th of March 2017, in the neighborhood of Tel Al-Hawa by an “Israeli agent with a suppressed pistol,” according to Hamas spokesman. Hamas have also written on their social media accounts that they hold Israel accountable for the incident which “will not pass is quiet.”

The Target:

Mazen Pokha, 38-year-old Hamas operative who was responsible back in the days of Operation Defensive shield for several terrorist attacks including the bloody suicide bomber attack on a bus (nine KIA and over 40 WIA) in Meron, Israel. He was also responsible for recruiting of suicide bombers and a series of failed terrorism actions. Throughout the years, the Israeli Shin Bet made him a prime target and was on his slippery tail. While the SB and the Israeli Defense Forces missed several opportunities to capture him (literally fingers away in one case in Jenin) – Pokha was eventually captured on April the 5th , 2002 by the direct action company of Duvdevan, one of the Israeli CT units in a high-profile raid. Pokah, unlike his peers surrounded without a fight which got him a ticket straight into the SB detention facility in central Israel.

Mazen Pokha was then released from jail on October 2011, as part of the prisoners deal with Hamas which consisted on the release of around 1000 Hamas operatives in return of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped several years earlier from his tank during an OP.