Israel Matzav

Israel grabs Shalit kidnapper?

The 'Palestinians' are claiming this evening that Israel kidnapped Mohawah al-Qadi, a senior member of Hamas' Executive Force who (apparently, although the 'Palestinians' deny it) was involved in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. The IDF has denied the story and the Shin Bet (General Security Service - kind of like the Secret Service and the FBI in the US rolled into one) has declined comment.

There are two different versions of this story. One says that the IDF came on a donkey drawn carriage and kidnapped him as he was 'working his land.' The other says that IDF soldiers dressed as civilians drove a Subaru into an intersection and forced him to get into the car. I even heard one version on the radio that said that he was taken to the airport in Dhaniyeh (which has been closed since an Israeli security person was murdered on the way there in 2000 - the IDF has long since made mince meat out of the runways) and that he was then taken by helicopter to Israel.

The operation allegedly took place some two kilometers inside the Gaza Strip, the furthest into the Strip that Israel has carried out an operation (if they did it) since the Jews were expelled from Gaza in the summer of 2005.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:27 AM