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CBS Information senior international correspondent Debora Patta performed a uncommon interview with a Hamas commander and recruiter within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, 4 months after the group launched its bloody terror assault on Israel, sparking the continuing battle in Gaza. The militant stated the battle was serving to draw new members to Hamas within the West Financial institution — a degree one veteran Israeli hostage negotiator did not dispute. Under is the backstory of Patta’s interview with a key member of the U.S. and Israeli-designated terror group — a needed man.
Jenin, West Financial institution — Our interview with the Hamas recruiter was scheduled to happen on Feb. 9 within the sprawling Jenin refugee camp — lengthy thought-about a hotbed of militant exercise within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution.
We met our contact on the appointed location and had been informed prematurely that we must depart our car behind and leap into a special automotive — one the Hamas unit deemed reliable.
Though the assembly level wasn’t that far-off, the route we took was circuitous. The driving force expertly navigated his manner by way of roads that had been a large number of rubble and destroy.
Israeli safety forces have stepped up raids on Jenin and so they regularly demolish the streets with bulldozers to make extra motion tough. Each on occasion we would come throughout a deep ditch or a pile of damaged concrete slabs that there was no manner round, forcing us to show again and discover a completely different route.
Round 10,000 individuals stay within the densely packed Jenin refugee camp, with its sq., concrete houses and low-rise residence buildings separated by steep, winding alleys.
Ultimately we got here to a cease and had been directed to proceed on foot down a slender street. The partitions of among the houses had been pockmarked by bullet holes. Two armed, masked Hamas fighters had been ready to escort us briskly up three flights of stairs onto the roof of one of many houses.
It was dank and darkish inside, barely furnished, and it seemed as if no one was really residing there. As we got here out into the daylight on the rooftop, we had been greeted by one other man.
He was softly spoken and known as himself Abu Abed. He informed us he was a commander in Hamas’ army wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, within the Jenin camp. Simply 25 years previous, he stated he joined Hamas when he was 16 and that he’d already spent 4 years in Israeli jails.
In contrast to his two bodyguards, his weapon wasn’t seen, however I noticed a pistol tucked into his jacket pocket.
The 2 masked gunmen stood by his facet your complete time, their fingers on the triggers of their assault rifles, prepared for any sudden motion. Certainly one of them appeared nervous and would periodically stroll to see over the balcony to observe the streets beneath.
At one level, Abu Abed abruptly stopped the interview to ask, “Are we accomplished quickly? There are planes above the realm.”
Their greatest concern was the specter of one other raid by the Israeli safety forces. After simply over half an hour, our interview was completed and we had been rapidly ushered down the steps and again onto the street outdoors.
Our contact was able to drive us again to our personal car. Our masked Hamas escorts had vanished — disappearing down one of many many facet alleys.
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