Palestine News Network (PNN) reported that a special unit of the Israeli army has assassinated No’aman Tahaineh 34, an Islamic Jihad leader in Jenin, Tuesday afternoon.
According to PNN, Tahineh, a political not a militant leader, has been claimed wanted for the Israeli security since the beginning of the first Intifada of 1987.
Eyewitnesses said an undercover unit wearing civilian clothes entered Jenin in a Palestinian plated car. The unit ambushed and killed Tahaineh as he took a taxi on his way out of the Jordanian Hospital in Az-Zahra area in Jenin city.
According to an eyewitness whose house is opposite to the hospital, Tanaineh received several direct bullets as the gunmen approached his car very quickly from all sides and shot him directly without any resistance on his side. The eyewitness, who preferred to stay anonymous, said ‘the unit was able to arrest Tahaineh because they were very close to him, but they wanted to kill him.’
Sources in Jenin said this is not the first time Tahaineh is subject to assassination attempts, there were several this month.
Over 20 military vehicles invaded the city immediately after the assassination, closed the assassination scene and did not allow the ambulances to evacuate the body for one hour and did not allow anybody to approach including journalists, eyewitnesses said.
After the assassination, with intensive presence of the Israeli army, an exchange of fire erupted between them and the Palestinian Resistance from both, Al-Aqsa Martyr brigades of Fatah and Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad.
The army responded to the fire with heavy machine guns. They also swept the area and arrested several Palestinians whom the army claims were with Tahaineh.
Tahaineh joined the Islamic Jihad when he was only 13 years old. He is considered one of the founders of the movement in Jenin area and soon became a leader.
Tahaineh, who is married and a father of two children spent four years in Israeli jails and two years in Palestinian Authority jails as well.
Al-Quds brigades vowed a tough revenge for the assassination of Tahaineh.
