Tayseer al-Jabari
Tayseer al-Jabari (died August 5, 2022) was a Palestinian military commander and high-ranking member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in August 2022.
al-Jabari succeeded Baha Abu al-Ata as head of PIJ's military division in 2019 after al-Ata was killed in an airstrike. He has been described as being in charge of the group's anti-tank weapons and several military divisions, and as a major leader of PIJ.
On May 7 and 10, 2021, the Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque and injured several hundred Palestinian worshippers in an act of police brutality. This was followed by several clashes between Palestinians and the police that resulted in more injuries and even a few deaths. In response, Hamas and the PIJ carried out a series of rocket attacks against Israel, resulting in 13 deaths and 200 injuries. al-Jabari is reported to have overseen the launching of hundreds of missiles during these attacks. Also during the conflict a division lead by al-Jabari allegedly fired on an Israeli civilian vehicle near the Gaza border, wounding one of the occupants.
In August 2022, Israel launched Operation Breaking Dawn to strike against PIJ. al-Jabari was one of the PIJ leaders targeted during the operation. On August 5, al-Jabari's apartment was destroyed by an Israeli missile, killing him. Israel stated that the killing followed several days of surveillance showing that al-Jabari's anti-tank divisions were preparing an attack on the Israeli border in retaliation for the arrest of PIJ commander Bassam al-Saadi. PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah vowed to avenge his death.