A new group appeared in the Gaza Strip, opposed to the Hamas movement, and declared itself clearly after admitting to the assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Astal (40 years old), director of police investigations in Khan Yunis, in an attack on Monday morning that targeted him in the Al-Mawasi area, south of the Gaza Strip.
Astal assassination in Gaza
Al-Astal was assassinated in the Al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip, after he was targeted by gunfire from a moving car. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry announced, in a statement published by Agence France-Presse, that preliminary investigations indicated that the perpetrators were “agents of the Israeli occupation,” stressing the opening of an urgent investigation and work to “track down the perpetrators.” However, an official in the occupation army told Reuters that the army “is not aware of any operations in the region.”
Hossam Al-Astal, the leader of what is known as the “Counter-Terrorism Service,” the military arm of the so-called “Popular Forces,” appeared wearing a black military uniform and holding an assault rifle, to confirm: “We announce today that the director of the Khan Yunis Investigations, Mahmoud Al-Astal, has been liquidated, because he killed many people.”
Al-Astal, who has the same surname as the victim, said threateningly: “We tell everyone in Hamas: We will come for you. Death is coming to you.”
In the video, he showed weapons and ammunition that he said were “spoils” from the operation, and pointed to a faded stain on a semi-automatic rifle, saying: “This is the blood of Hamas dogs and pigs.”
This is the first incident in which an armed group explicitly claimed responsibility for the killing of a senior Hamas police security official. Sources indicate that the “Popular Forces”, which are believed to include hundreds of members, announced themselves for the first time last year and took the city of Rafah as their headquarters.
Last June, the Israeli occupation state admitted to arming Palestinian groups opposed to Hamas, without directly naming the group of Yasser Abu Shabab, who was killed months ago.
