Death in Gaza Following Previous Conflict History
Fareed Ahmad Hamid, widely recognized by his nickname “Fareed Al-Natur,” was declared dead on Wednesday after succumbing to wounds he sustained during an Israeli military strike. The incident occurred on Al-Rashid Street in the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood, located in southern Gaza City. Hamid hailed from the town of Silwad, situated northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, but had been residing in the Gaza Strip for over a decade following his deportation.
Origins in the Al-Aqsa Intifada
Before his imprisonment, Hamid was a member of a cell affiliated with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. This group conducted shooting operations against Israeli targets in the West Bank during the years of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. His most notable involvement dates back to October 19, 2003, when he participated alongside three other men from Silwad—Khaled Al-Najjar, Ahmad Al-Najjar, and Yasser Hammad—in an attack on Israeli soldiers near Ein Yabrud, east of Ramallah.
The operation resulted in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers. According to available reports, the attackers managed to seize the weapons of the fallen soldiers during the engagement. Local accounts indicate that the cell remained active for approximately three years, carrying out various armed operations in and around Ramallah before several of its members were arrested by Israeli forces.
Imprisonment and the “Wafaa al-Ahrar” Deal
Hamid was detained by Israeli troops in 2003 and spent nearly eight years incarcerated in Israeli prisons. His freedom came on October 18, 2011, as part of the “Wafaa al-Ahrar” (Loyalty to the Free) prisoner exchange agreement. This historic deal facilitated the release of more than one thousand Palestinian prisoners in return for the liberation of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
As part of the terms of this exchange, Hamid was among those deported to the Gaza Strip rather than returning to his home in the West Bank. He remained in Gaza until his death in the recent strike, marking the end of a life deeply intertwined with the region’s protracted conflict, spanning from his early militant activities in the West Bank to his final days in Gaza.
