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Blindfolded, handcuffed and wearing only his underwear, Imad Kawasmeh, the local commander of the Palestinian Islamic terror group Hamas, is escorted by an Israeli soldier after troops surrounded his hideout in Hebron, Oct. 13, 2004. He is suspected by Israeli authorities of having dispatched a number of suicide bombers. He was ordered to strip to his underwear to ensure he was not armed. (AP/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners October 13, 2004 |
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IDF troops on Wednesday arrested Imad Kawasmeh, commander of Hamas' military wing in Hebron, responsible for dispatching two suicide bombers who blew up on two buses almost simultaneously in Beersheba, killing 17 Israelis.
Acting on intelligence tips, Egoz and Nahal units on Tuesday night surrounded a Hebron building in which he was hiding. Locals said there was nobody inside. The soldiers were not convinced.
As bulldozers began demolishing the building, Kawasmeh walked out waving a white flag. Troops forced him to strip to his underwear to ensure he was not concealing a weapon or bomb belt. After his surrender, troops searched the building and found a weapons cache.
Kawasmeh has been on Israel's "most wanted" list for several years. The fact that he was captured alive is expected to help Israel crack down on the Hebron terror infrastructure, among the most secretive and deadly.
According to Israel Radio, Israeli security forces, including the army, Shin Bet and Police refocused their efforts with special emphasis on Hebron several months ago.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz welcomed his apprehension in what he described as a "high quality operation," describing him as "a mass murderer whose hands are drenched in the blood of many Israelis," he said on a tour of army bases in the Galilee. "I am very hopeful that this arrest will lead to a serious blow on terrorist infrastructure in Hebron and the reduction of attacks from that area," Mofaz added.
In addition to the devastating Beersheba twin bombings, Hamas Hebron terror cells under Kawasmeh's command is also held responsible for many shooting attacks at Israeli drivers in the Hebron hills, and suicide bomb attacks in Jerusalem.
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