One of the three Aqsa Brigades operatives who survived the army operation in the old city of Nablus, in which five of the most wanted leaders of the brigades together with the Hamas affiliated Qasam brigade’s leader and Islamic jihad affiliated Alquds brigades leader were killed, told the story of what he described as ‘the intentional poisoning of the seven operatives’
Known to people with the nickname ‘Gadafi’, as he told the story, he insisted that the uncovering of the group’s secret hideout was a mere incident. ‘Army had information that we were in that neighborhood, but no clue to where exactly’ he said.
Gadafi, with a pale face and dripping eyes, told the story:
After we exchanged fire with soldiers, we withdrew to our hideout in Jitan neighborhood; a small underground room with one entrance, a small whole in the roof, carefully covered with movable 4 small ceramic blocks.
We were 10 persons, 8 from Aqas Brigades, one from Islamic jihad, and one from Hamas and we stayed in for 3 days.
On Saturday, our leader Abu-Sharkh and Nidal Wawi went out to gather information on army locations and movements. After returning, and as Abu-Sharkh entered the hideout and Wawi was just sliding down, soldiers, who apparently located them, fired and killed Wawi.
Abu-Sharkh was wounded in the hand as he attempted to pull Wawi down to the hideout. We prepared our guns to fight, but soldiers hurled dozens of gas and smoke bombs inside room we sheltered in.
To escape the deadly gas, I was the first to go through a small tunnel that links our hideout to the kitchen of a nearby home. I was followed by few others. I then managed to breakdown the thin wall into the kitchen, then jumped out of the window and managed to flee away.
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Sadiq Nabulsi followed me, but took a different route. Soldiers located, shot, wounded, and arrested him.
As I managed to escape, I was almost sure that others could not make it.
Medical sources in Nablus reported that the 7 who were killed inside the hideout died as a result of annihilating an unidentified kind of gas. Few gun shots were found in the hands and legs of few, but none could have led to their death.
