ONE FOR OUR SIDE

The IDF, working with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), assassinated a senior Al-Qaeda terrorist in Gaza on Wednesday. The terrorist was identified as 27-year-old Mohammed Jamal a-Nahmnam.

He was killed by a car bomb near the Hamas police station in Gaza City.




A-Nahmnam was involved in past terrorist attacks on Israel. He was plotting attacks against Israel and American targets in Sinai, Egypt, in coordination with Hamas.

Several small Gaza terrorist groups are affiliated with Al-Qaeda. The oldest is the "Army of Islam," which took part in an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing in which IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, and in the kidnapping of British reporter Alan Johnston in 2007. The group also planned to target former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during his visit to Gaza in July 2008.

A-Nahmnam belonged to the Army of Islam, and was responsible for security.




A senior Hamas terrorist argued this week that Al-Qaeda - a Hamas rival - is no longer present in Gaza. Fathi Hamad told Al-Hayyat that Al-Qaeda "is not active . . . we've sealed off all the [security] gaps."


Sherut haBitachon haKlali (שירות הביטחון הכללי‎, "General Security Service"), officially known by the acronym Shabak (שב״כ‎, IPA, Arabic: شاباك‎), officially known in English as Israel Security Agency (ISA), and commonly known in English as the Shin Bet, is Israel's internal security service. Its motto is "Magen VeLo Yera'e" (מגן ולא יראה‎ - "Defender that shall not be seen" or "The Unseen Shield"). It is one of three principal organizations of the Israeli Intelligence Community, alongside Aman (the military intelligence of the IDF) and Mossad (responsible for overseas intelligence work).