– Wesam Khazem, the leader of Hamas in Jenin, was eliminated during an anti-terrorist operation in the northern Samaria area. He was involved in carrying out and directing shooting and bombing attacks, and continuously carried out terrorist activities in the area, the Israeli army (IDF) claimed in a message on X Friday morning.
The case was first mentioned by VG. The murdered man was a Norwegian citizen and formerly lived in Skien with his parents. A clearly affected father Ayman Zeidan Khazem (56) tells NTB on Friday evening.
– I found out about it this morning from one of my other sons. I have also spoken to his wife, says Khazem.
The son is still registered in Skien. The father denies that his son was a Hamas leader, as both the Israeli army (IDF) and Hamas have claimed.
– Israel always says that after they have killed someone. My son was not in Hamas. He traveled down to Palestine four years ago after he did not get family reunification with his wife, whom he had married down there, the father says.
We have the body home
The father says he has not heard anything from the Foreign Ministry or the Israeli authorities about the murder of his son. He says he wants to get the body back to Norway to bury his son.
– I want the Norwegian authorities to help with that, so that he gets a proper burial, says the father.
The son leaves behind a wife and two daughters in the West Bank.
Israeli forces killed what they say was a local Hamas commander in Jenin on Friday as they continued a major operation in the occupied West Bank for the third day in a row
Israel has previously stated that the operation is aimed at key members of Hamas in the West Bank.
Not confirmed
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are aware of the case, but they have not had the death confirmed.
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of reports in the media that a Norwegian citizen has been killed on the West Bank, and is working to get the information confirmed, says spokesperson Cecilie Skjennald in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to NTB.
The police security service (PST) says they cannot comment on whether the 31-year-old is known to them.
– But we concentrate on people who can pose a threat domestically, says communications advisor Marting Bernsen in PST to NTB.
#Norwegian #citizen #killed #West #Bank
2024-08-30 19:36:13
