the diaries of palestine.

Emad Akel

Emad Hussain Akel was born in the 19th of June 1971 in Jabalia camp northern Gaza, he grew up in circumstances which made his first concern to fight back against the Israeli occupation and make them pay for all the crimes they committed.

Emad joined Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in 1990, and later he became in charge of the communication matters between the leaders and the martyrs' group, which was the first Izz ad_Din al_Qassam Brigades group in the northern of Gaza.

The most highlighted mission they accomplished was the bold mission of targeting the military leader The General Joseph Avenbighd parade in May 1992, unfortunately, the group had been exposed and all its members were hunted including Emad Akel. 

The Israeli occupation didn't experience the bitter taste of the zero distance battles at that time, and they thought that the previous mission occurred by a plain Coincidence.

But it had turned out to be the begging of a new stage in the military work of Hamas, and its title was (The zero distance missions).

In October 1992, something the occupation didn't expect took place, in the occupied Territories of Palestine Emad Akel attacked a military vehicle that had one officer and 3 soldiers, all of them were injured during the attack.

Four days later Emad and his group attacked an Israeli military camp near Al_ibrahimi mosque in the middle of the day in people's presence, as a result, one Israeli soldier was killed and the other were badly injured.

The commandant Emad Akel left Alkhalil city afterward, then he went back to Gaza in November 1992, a few days later he executed a series of brave and bold missions that injured and killed many Israeli soldiers in Gaza. 

Emad's boldness made him a hero the Palestinian looked up to, while his name became a usual content in the Israeli news, and to the political leaders and soldiers, he became their first target. 

Akel became a tough opponent and a resistance hero in his youth, in 2 years of being hunted he executed over 40 missions, the greatest one was Mosa'b bin omaer mosque (the first filmed mission in the history of the Resistance) where Emad Akel and Maher Zaqout set a trap in a house near the mosque, the front door of the house overlooked the street in which the Israeli Jeep was expected to pass through, they had another allay to watch the road and give them a sign when the jeep approaches. 

After 4 hours of waiting, the two fighters heard the sound of their companion's whistle, and they knew the jeep is coming toward them they stood in their positions, and when it approached they surrounded it from both sides and shot the three soldiers directly, there had been two soldiers and one Commander, after Emad and his companion were sure that they were finished with them, they took an (M16) gun from the jeeb, then they tossed a paper in the mission scene before they leave. 

Yitzhak Rabin's comment about this mission was " I wish to someday wake up in the morning and find out that Gaza had been swallowed by the sea!!"

Emad once said in a speech:

"The Israeli soldier who stands before you is a missed up soldier on the inside, mentally and emotionally, we must break the Israeli power by killing the Israeli soldier which Israel think is its greatest weapon"

Emad succeeded greatly during the 3 years he spent in resisting and fighting, he succeeded precisely in dismantling the Israeli soldier's mentality, and destroying the scary image of the Israeli soldiers, after every mission he would come out with a message, and present information to the Palestinian front rows and to the Israeli leaders too, while he assured the Palestinians that they shouldn't fear the occupation and they must break the Israeli soldier image, he also terrorized the Israeli soldiers and their leaders.

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The resources of this chapter are sassapost. Net and The Palestinian information center.