Ahmed Jabari Ahmed al - Jabari ( ; 1960 – 14 November 2012 ; also known as Abu Mohammad ) ( the last name is otherwise also written as Jaabari or Ja ' bari or Ja ' abari ) was a Palestinian militant and the second - in - command of the military wing of Hamas . He was credited as the leader in the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip , and played a role in the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit . Under his command , Hamas developed its own growing weapons capability and acquired longer - range rockets . While at the Islamic University of Gaza , Jabari joined Fatah , which advocated armed struggle against Israel . In 1982 , he was arrested by the Israeli authorities and imprisoned for 13 years . After being released he joined Fatah ' s Islamist rival Hamas ' militant wing and was believed to have been involved in the bombing of a bus in Kfar Darom , following which he was arrested by the Preventive Security Force of the Palestinian Authority in 1998 , being released the following year . In 2002 , Jabari became the acting operational head of Hamas ' militant wing when Mohammad Deif was seriously wounded in an Israeli attack . In this position Jabari was also a high - ranking official within Hamas ' political leadership , as well as the founder of the Nur Association , which aimed to help " martyrs and prisoners . " The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet conducted a targeted air strike on 14 November 2012 , a part of Operation Pillar of Defense , killing Jabari while he was travelling in a car . Jabari was the highest - level Hamas official killed in Gaza since the Gaza War . Early life and education . Jabari was born to a respected activist family based in the Shuja ' iyya district of Gaza City in 1960 , that was forced to leave Hebron due to a family blood feud . He graduated from Gaza ' s Islamic University with a degree in history . In 1982 , Jabari was arrested and imprisoned by Israeli authorities when he was a member of the secular Palestinian militant organization Fatah . According to " Al Arabiya " , while serving 13 years in prison , he left Fatah and joined Hamas after meeting with some of the latter ' s founders who were also incarcerated at the time , namely Abd al - Aziz Rantissi , Nizar Rayyan and Salah Shehadeh . Hamas . After his release , in 1995 Jabari began to act as a middle - level activist in the military wing of the Hamas . In addition , he dealt with the movement ' s charitable organizations and was responsible for coordinating between the collection of money and military activities . In the middle of the 1990s , Jabari involved directly in planning of the suicide missions against Israeli citizens . Then , due to his involvement with these military activities in the Gaza Strip , Jabari was arrested by the Preventive Security Force of the Palestinian Authority in October 1998 for his alleged role in the Kfar Darom bus attack . He was released in late 1999 . After his release he became an assistant of Salah Shehadeh and Mohamed Aldahef , the commanders of the military wing , in charge with improvement of military actions . Thus , he was part of Hamas ' s senior leadership during the first intifada and of the first Intifada cell . On 26 September 2002 , after an Israeli airstrike wounded Mohammed Deif , the leader of Hamas ' s principal armed wing , the Izz al - Din al - Qassam Brigades , Jabari became the commander and operational head of the military wing at the height of the Second Intifada ( the armed Palestinian uprising against Israel from 2000 – 2007 ) . However , Deif remains its official head . According to Hamas political leader Ayman Taha , since Jabari took over the al - Qassam Brigades ' day - to - day operations , Hamas ' s armed wing became increasingly professional . During the course of the Intifada , he directed several attacks against Israel , including suicide bombings , that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians and soldiers . On 17 August 2004 , Jabari ' s eldest son Mohammed , his brother and three of his cousins were killed in an Israeli air strike against Jabari ' s home in Gaza in an apparent assassination attempt against him . He escaped the attack unhurt . He stated in a 2005 interview with " Reuters " that " Jihad and resistance " were the " only ways to liberate the homeland , and not negotiation and bargains . " Jabari was in charge of overseeing the imprisonment of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in 2006 outside of the Gaza Strip ; two other soldiers were killed . According to the Israeli government , Jabari played a leading role in Hamas ' takeover of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah - led Palestinian Authority in June 2007 . During Israel ' s offensive Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip in December 2008 , Jabari ' s home was allegedly destroyed in an airstrike , but the circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear . After long years of military activities in Hamas , Jabari became one of the influential leaders within the organization . In September 2010 , Jabari threatened to increase attacks against Israel to derail the Israeli - Palestinian peace negotiations : " With the power of faith , weapons and missiles , tunnels and commandos we will achieve victory for Palestine and we ' ll end the occupation in Gaza too . " When a prisoners - exchange was arranged handing back Shalit to Israel in return for 1 , 027 Palestinian prisoners in October 2011 , Jabari personally escorted Shalit to the Rafah Crossing with Egypt , making a rare public appearance . Abu Hudaifa , a close confidante , noted that Jabari " followed the mission until the end in minute detail by himself . " In an interview with " Al Hayat " newspaper , Jabari confirmed that most of the 477 prisoners released in the first part of the prisoner exchange were collectively responsible for the deaths of 569 Israelis . In April 2012 , Jabari was elected to the political bureau of Hamas . Jabari was also instrumental in enforcing ceasefires from the Palestinian side , which included restricting rival militant groups from firing rockets . In addition to his activities given above , Jabari served as a member of the group ' s political leadership . He also founded Nur , which is an association to assist ' martyrs and prisoners . ' According to Gershon Baskin , who helped mediate with Hamas for Gilad Shalit ' s release but did not speak to Jabari directly , Jabari had come to understand that continuing hostilities with Israel harmed both Hamas and the people of the Gaza Strip , and had worked to prevent on several occasions Hamas rocket attacks on Israel . When such Hamas rocket attacks took place , they were intentionally aimed to land in open spaces . Baskin also said that Jabari " was in line to die , not an angel and not a righteous man of peace . " Baskin also claimed that Jabari received a draft of a long - term ceasefire agreement with Israel only hours prior to his assassination . Elhanan Miller , in the " The Times of Israel " writes , " Baskin , who says he played a key role in negotiating for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit last year , said Jabari would not meet with him , despite several requests during the Shalit talks ' Jabari would never have direct contact with an Israeli ' , noting that he communicated with Jabari through Hamas official and spokesman Ghazi Hamad . " Benjamin Kerstein wrote in " The Times of Israel " that Baskin ' s claims were in all likelihood not true , mainly because Israel would not involve someone like Baskin in important peace talks . Death and funeral . Jabari was cautious with his personal safety , rarely making public appearances and not carrying a cellphone . These steps were taken to avoid any assassination attempt since he escaped five such attacks unhurt . However , on 14 November 2012 , he was killed by an Israeli military strike while driving along Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza City . He was 52 years old . His bodyguard , Mohammed Al Hams , who was traveling with him , was also killed . The attack , which was a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF , came amid a series of Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel and Israeli air strikes against targets in Gaza over a four - day period called Operation Pillar of Defense . Jabari was buried on 15 November 2012 . According to " Al Jazeera English " correspondent Rula Amin , Jabari was " considered a hero " by the people of Gaza . Thousands of mourners attended his funeral procession which began at the Shifa Hospital , passed his home , then reached the Great Mosque of Gaza for mourning prayers . The procession ended at the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in the northern part of the city where Jabari was buried . Reactions . Hamas ' Lebanon representative Osama Hamdan said that it was likely Israel was targeting the Izz ad - Din al - Qassam Brigades . The Brigades asserted that the Israeli " occupation has opened the doors of hell . " Other militant factions , such as the Popular Resistance Committees ( PRC ) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad ( PIJ ) also denounced the killing of Jabari and vowed retaliation . The PIJ said it would " respond fiercely " to Jabari ' s death , calling it an " act of war . " Member of the PLO Executive Committee , Saeb Erekat , condemned the " Israeli crime and assassination of Jabari . " Angry protests erupted around the Shifa Hospital , where Jabari was taken , following news of his death , with members of Hamas demanding retaliation . Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest of the attacks on the Gaza Strip and the killing of Jabari . According to a foreign ministry statement , Foreign Minister Kamel Amr " condemned the series of air strikes that Israel is currently conducting against Gaza Strip and which led to the killing of Ahmed al - Jabari . " Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim al - Thani stated : " I condemn [ the killing ] in the name of Qatar . . . This filthy crime must not pass without a punishment . " He also called on the UN Security Council to " preserve the peace and security in the world . " Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah issued condolences to Hamas stating that Jabari was a " martyr " who " had a great history in the resistance . " During consultations about the Israeli airstrikes , U . S . President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi agreed to work together to de - escalate the situation before it escalates . Personal life . Jabari had two wives and six children . Jabari ' s eldest son , Mohammed , died during a 2004 Israeli airstrike . Mohamed was married to Salah Shehadeh ' s daughter .