Abbas Al Sayyed, 39, a prominent member of Hamas’ military wing in Tulkarem, was convicted by the Tel Aviv District Court, on Tuesday, for the killing of 35 Israelis in two separate attacks in Netanya.
The court also convicted him of planning a “mass poisoning” of Israeli citizens.
Al Sayyed was tried for planning the Netanya suicide bombing which was carried out in the Park Hotel in 2002, and for a separate bombing which was carried out in Hasharon mall, in the Israeli coastal city, in 2001.
Also, the court’s ruling indicted the nephew of Al Sayyed, Tariq Zeidan, who is a trained pharmacist, of bringing four kilograms of cyanide from Jordan and giving it to his uncle following the bombing in Netanya.
According to the Israeli prosecution, the cyanide was meant to be used in a mass poisoning of Israeli residents.
Al Sayyed was arrested by the Israeli army during the “Defensive Shield” operation carried out by the Israeli army in the occupied territories in May 2002.
Israeli interrogators said that Al Sayyed gave them names of Hamas men whom he gave the poison to but they managed to evades capture until this day.
Al Sayyed served as the spokesperson of Hamas in Tulkarem. He was also convicted last month of receiving explosives from Hamas men in Syria, and thousands of Dollars to finance his operations, according to the Israeli security.
