Draft:Ahmed Naji Ghundour

Ahmed Naji Ghundour
File:Ahmed Ghundour.webp
Name	Ahmed Naji Ghundour
Other Names	Abu Anas
Personal Details
Birth Place	Jaffa
Death Place	Gaza during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle
Religion	Islam

Ahmed Naji Ghundour, also known as "Abu Anas", was a founding member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, a member of its Military Council, commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip, and the planner of several suicide operations including "Reem al-Riyashi," the "Ashdod Port infiltration," a roadside bombing in February 2003, and an attack on a military post at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in 2006. The latter resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers, injuries to four others, and the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He survived unsuccessful assassination attempts by the Israeli military in 2002 and 2012. In 2017, he was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. Department of State for leading the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip. Ultimately, in 2023, following Ayman Nofal, he became the second Hamas commander to be martyred.

Biography

Ahmed Ghundour was born in 1967 in the city of Jaffa, Palestine.

Militant Activities

Ghundour initiated his first jihadist activities against occupying forces in 1984 by forming the first military cell. He was one of the movement's oldest leaders and the third-in-command after the overall commander Mohammed Deif and his deputy Marwan Issa. He served as a member of the Military Council and commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip.

Planning of Suicide Operations

He played a key role in planning suicide operations during the Second Intifada starting in 2000, including the "Reem al-Riyashi" operation and the "Ashdod Port infiltration" carried out by Mahmoud Salem and Nabil Masoud. He also orchestrated a roadside bombing in February 2003 that killed four Israeli soldiers, and an attack on a military post at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in 2006. This attack led to the deaths of two Israeli soldiers, injuries to four others, and the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, which subsequently facilitated the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners under the "Wafa al-Ahrar" (Loyalty to the Free) prisoner exchange agreement between the Hamas movement and the Israeli regime, mediated by the Egypt in 2011.

Command of Wars

Ghundour commanded numerous battles against occupying forces, including:

• The "Battle of Ahl al-Jannah" in Beit Hanoun in 2006, during which over 70 young resistance fighters were besieged by occupying forces inside the "Umm al-Nasr" mosque. The battle concluded with Palestinian women intervening to cover the retreat of the resistance fighters.
• The "Battle of Al-Furqan" at the end of 2008 and early 2009, launched when Israeli occupying forces attacked the Gaza Strip with the aim of eliminating the Hamas movement.
• The "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation in 2023, during which he commanded the Northern Brigade. In this operation, occupying forces focused on a scorched-earth policy in the northern Gaza Strip.

Imprisonment

He was imprisoned for six years from 1988 to 1994 by the occupying authorities, and for an additional five years from 1995 to 2000 by the Palestinian Authority.

Inclusion on the U.S. Sanctions List

In 2017, the U.S. Department of State added Commander Ahmed Al-Ghundour to its terrorism list due to his leadership of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip. The U.S. Department of State announced in a statement that Al-Ghundour was listed under Section (b) of Executive Order 13224, titled "Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism." According to the statement, Ghundour was listed for carrying out operations against Israel, killing Israeli soldiers, and abducting Gilad Shalit. Consequently, U.S. citizens and residents were prohibited from engaging in transactions with him, and all his assets within the United States were seized. The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, issued a statement condemning the punitive measures taken by the United States. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesperson for the movement, explained that listing Ghundour as a terrorist was an attempt to alter reality, given that the Israeli military continuously commits massacres against Palestinians.

Assassination attempts

Ghandour was the target of multiple assassination attempts by the Zionist regime military at various times, the most prominent of which was an attempt to assassinate him in 2002 during the "Tunnels War". In 2012, the Israeli Air Force bombed a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming that a Qassam leader was present, in an effort to assassinate him; however, according to Israeli sources and a report by Channel 10 of the regime on November 18, 2012, this attempt failed. Israel also claimed to have assassinated him in an airstrike that injured 30 civilians, whereas Ghandour survived this assassination attempt. In 2018, the Israeli-affiliated military network "Reshet Kan" published the names of individuals included in Israel's updated assassination list. This list, described by them as the "most wanted individuals in Israel," included several leaders of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. Ghandour's name appeared as the third individual on this list, as he was the commander of the Northern Gaza Strip Brigade within the Qassam Brigades, playing a pivotal role in the 2006 operation that resulted in the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. According to this network, he was one of the few individuals directly involved in the abduction of this soldier. Furthermore, the "Reshet Kan" military network acknowledged that the Qassam commander had survived several assassination attempts by the Israeli military.

Martyrdom

Ghandour was the second senior commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, after Ayman Nofal, commander of the Central Region Brigade, to be martyred during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle in 2023.

Reactions

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 38 days after the war launched by the Israel against the Gaza Strip, Israeli media claimed that the occupying army had killed Ahmed al-Ghandour, a Qassam commander, in an airstrike on one of the areas in the Gaza Strip; however, according to reports, his body was not found, and Hamas and its military brigades did not announce the martyrdom of their leader at that time. On Thursday, November 16, the army of the Zionist regime announced that it had targeted an underground complex where Hamas leaders were stationed. On the same date, Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli army, published a post on the X platform confirming that two strikes had been carried out against two underground complexes, and that in the first strike, several Hamas leaders, including Ahmed al-Ghandour and Ayman Siyam, were targeted.

Finally, on the third day of the ceasefire, Sunday, November 26, 2023, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced the martyrdom of several of its commanders, led by Ahmed al-Ghandour, a member of the military council and commander of the Northern Brigade. In a statement issued by the Qassam Brigades, without specifying the date or manner of martyrdom, it was stated that Hamas commanders in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation achieved heroic and honorable status. A large group of Palestinians participated in the funeral procession of these commanders in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a issued statement, emphasized: The survival, growth, continuous empowerment, and vitality of the resistance, along with the recording of major events and achievements in the path of liberating the Noble Jerusalem, are owed to the struggles and historic heroism of great men who, through their selfless, sacrificial, and legendary presence on the battlefield against the occupiers of the holy land of Palestine, created eternal honors and made themselves models and guiding lights for the mujahideen of Jerusalem. Mohammed Deif and other martyred commanders of the Qassam Brigades are shining stars in the galaxy of the proud Palestinian resistance, creators of an inspiring and enduring chapter of sacrifice, selflessness, resistance, and relentless struggle against the fake and criminal Zionist regime, especially after the historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation. Their names continue to instill fear and terror in the hearts of Zionist criminals and their supporters, and those who follow their path will demonstrate that their names remain alive and guide the future of the resistance. In this statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps offered congratulations and condolences to the noble and powerful Palestinian nation, especially the heroic Hamas, on the martyrdom of Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (Mohammed Deif), the commander-in-chief, and other honored commanders of the Qassam Brigades: Marwan Issa (Abu al-Bara'), Ghazi Abu Tama'a (Abu Musa), Rafeh Salameh (Abu Muhammad), Ahmed al-Ghandour (Abu Anas), Ayman Nofal (Abu Ahmad), and Raed Thabet, in the field of victorious resistance against the aggression and crimes of the military forces of the Zionist regime following the epic of Al-Aqsa Flood. The statement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps further emphasized: Undoubtedly, the announcement of the martyrdom of Mohammed Deif and other commanders of the Qassam Brigades will infuse new blood into the veins of the fighters of the Islamic resistance in Palestine. By strengthening the will and readiness of the children of the Palestinian nation to continue steadfastness and pursue the cause of liberating Bayt al-Maqdis and raising the flag of Palestine across the entire holy land, by divine grace, they will storm like fierce tempests against the fake and vile existence of the satanic and racist Zionist regime, nullifying its shameful existence. In this blessed path, the support and backing of the Islamic Ummah, especially the Axis of Resistance, will continue to empower them decisively.

See also

• Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri
• Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
• Marwan Abdul Karim Issa
• Al-Aqsa Flood
• Gilad Shalit
• Ayman Nofal
• Hamas

Sources

• Ahmed al-Ghandour.. The Third Man in the Qassam Brigades, Al Jazeera Network website, date of publication: November 27, 2023, date of access: Bahman 15, 1403 SH.
• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: The blood of the martyred resistance commanders strengthens the will of the Palestinian nation, Al-Alam Network website, date of publication: Bahman 15, 1403 SH, date of access: Bahman 16, 1403 SH.