Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press are prepared by the Government Press Office as a service to foreign journalists in Israel. They express the views of the authors.
AN EXTREMELY HARD BLOW FOR HAMAS
(Commentary by Ya'akov Peri, former GSS head, "Ma'ariv", Apr 2, 1998, p. A7)
The death of Muhi a-Din Sharif is an extremely hard blow for Hamas, especially to its military wing.
This man was responsible for most of the suicide bombings in recent years. He began his activity in the late 1980s, distributing leaflets and participating in disturbances. Later, he recruited a cell whose job was to kidnap soldiers.
In 1995, he began to be involved in suicide bombings and helped fabricate weapons. He excelled in preparing and transporting explosives.
That same year, he was involved in the bus bombing in Jerusalem's Ramat Eshkol neighborhood. He had intended to carry out the attack himself, but changed his mind at the last moment, and has been a fugitive for a very long time.
Assuming that the body has been correctly identified, then this is undoubtedly the death of one of the most dangerous men in the terrorist network against the State of Israel.
Palestinian reports that the body was apparently found to have been shot and later blown up by the car bomb, require examination. This may be a Palestinian attempt to put the blame on Israel. As far as I know, Israel had no part in his elimination. On the face of it, it looks like an assassination. However, both the location and method do not point to Israeli involvement. It is possible that he was killed by Hamas
members over a difference of opinion.