Who Is the Armed Man the Occupation Claims Hamas Sent to Clash with Its Forces?

A private source has revealed the identity of the armed man the occupation forces claimed Hamas had dispatched to confront its troops inside the yellow line east of the Gaza Strip, confirming that he has no affiliation with any Palestinian armed faction and works in securing aid convoys.

The source, who requested anonymity, stated that the man who appeared in the occupation army’s video recording on Saturday is identified as “Kh. N.” from Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip. He works in securing aid entering Gaza and has no organisational link to any Palestinian faction, whether Hamas or others.

The source added that the man in question, whose fate remains unknown after occupation forces shot him in the Kisufim area east of Deir al Balah, had previously lost his leg during the Great March of Return protests in Gaza in 2018, and has been using a prosthetic limb since then. The source noted the deep shock within his family after the occupation released footage of him carrying a weapon and alleging that Hamas had sent him to engage its troops.

Another source who spoke to Arabi21 said the incident took place along a route used for securing aid convoys, typically patrolled by armed security personnel. This route lies east of Salah al Din Street in central Deir al Balah, within the vicinity of what is now known as the yellow line.

The source affirmed that security personnel and armed groups move freely along this path as part of their duties in safeguarding aid deliveries on behalf of private companies and family-based groups operating there. He stressed that occupation forces opened fire on the man from a relatively long distance, despite him posing no threat to them.

On Saturday, Hamas called on mediators and the United States administration to pressure the occupation to reveal the identity of the armed man “Israel” claims the movement sent to shoot at its forces inside the Gaza Strip.
Izzat al Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, stated in a communiqué: “We call on the mediators and the United States administration to pressure Israel to reveal the identity of the armed man it claims Hamas sent.”

Al Rishq asserted that “the occupation state fabricates pretexts to evade the agreement and return to the genocide,” stressing that there is no truth to Israeli media reports alleging that Hamas informed US envoy Weitzkov that the agreement had ended.

The statement came hours after the occupation army carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Palestinian homes and a vehicle in several areas of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of twenty two people, including children and women, in a new violation of the ceasefire that has been in place since 11 October, according to the latest figures from the Civil Defence.

Earlier, the office of the Israeli prime minister issued a statement claiming that Hamas had “violated the ceasefire yet again” by sending an armed man into an area under its control in Gaza to attack its soldiers, as it claimed.

Al Rishq said: “Israel fabricates pretexts to evade the agreement and return to the genocide. It is the one that violates the agreement daily and systematically.”

He added that “there is no truth to what Israeli sources published about Hamas informing Weitzkov, the envoy of US President Donald Trump to the Middle East, that the agreement had ended,” urging mediators and the US administration to intervene and compel Israel to implement the agreement.

The Israeli occupation forces continue to commit repeated violations of the ceasefire, including shootings, limited incursions, and demolition operations, resulting in the killing and wounding of hundreds of Palestinians.

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza, reached between Hamas and Israel based on US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, came into effect on 11 October. However, the occupation has consistently violated it since then, leading to the martyrdom of more than three hundred Palestinians.