Murdered Palestinian engineer was ‘senior member’ of Hamas

Associated Press in Gaza City
Sat 21 Apr 2018 18.38 BST

Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group has said that a man who was gunned down in Malaysia on Saturday was a key member of the organisation, raising suspicions that Israel was behind the killing.

Hamas said Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh was a “loyal” member and a “scientist of Palestine’s youth scholars”. It gave no further details on his scientific accomplishments but said he had made important contributions and participated in international forums in the field of energy.

The funeral service by the Islamic movement’s militant wing suggested al-Batsh was one of its military commanders. At a mourning house in the Gaza Strip, a banner described al-Batsh as a member of the military wing.

Ten masked men in camouflage uniforms stood in a line outside the tent in Jabaliya, the victim’s home town, to greet mourners. The ceremony is typical for senior Hamas commanders.

Hamas stopped short of blaming Israel, saying only that he had been “assassinated by the hand of treachery”. But relatives of al-Batsh believe that Israel targeted him.

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