The Palestinian Authority (PA) media continues to present armed terrorists killed in clashes with the Israeli security forces in the West Bank as youngsters or even "children" murdered by Israel in cold blood. The reports ignore the fact that the individuals in question were members of West Bank terror militias and were killed in clashes with Israeli forces, and that the relevant militias openly acknowledge this fact.[1] The phenomenon has been especially conspicuous recently in the context of the Israeli army's operation in Jenin against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ's) Jenin Brigade. Reporting on the death of two teenaged terrorists, Wasim Jaradat and Mahmoud Qarini, the PA's official news agency described them both as children killed by the Israeli army, and presented pictures of them unarmed and in civilian clothing. However, the Jenin Brigade itself issued an obituary in which it referred to them as jihad fighters killed in the course of heroic action against the occupation. Moreover, pictures on social media indicate that the two were indeed operatives in the Jenin Brigade and show them carrying arms and explosives.
The following are details:
Wasim Jaradat, Operative Of PIJ Military Wing, Pictured With Rifle And Pipe Bombs
Wasim Jaradat (15) was killed in Jenin on May 22, 2024. The PA's news agency WAFA reported that day that "the boy Wasim Ahed Jaradat (15) was martyred by gunfire of the Israeli occupation," providing no further details about the circumstances of his death. The report was accompanied by a photo of Jaradat that shows him unarmed in a t-shirt and baseball cap.[2]
However, the "Jenin Al-Qassam" Telegram channel, affiliated with the Jenin terror militias, presented Jaradat as a "jihad fighter" and posted a picture of him with a rifle. The May 22 post announcing his death said: "Despite his young age, he became convinced of [his need to follow] the path of truth and jihad. He became a jihad fighter for the sake of Allah… and eventually a martyr."[4]
Left: Picture of Wasim Jaradat published by the PA news agency WAFA (www.wafa.ps, May 22, 2024); right: picture of Jaradat armed with a rifle, posted on a Telegram channel associated with the terror militias (T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024)
Other posts on this Telegram channel provide further indications of Jaradat's military activity, showing him carrying pipe bombs and other explosive devices, wearing a PIJ headband and cap and carrying a PIJ flag. The posts stress that he was a "lion cub" (i.e., a young warrior).
The "jihad fighter" and "lion cub" Wasim Jaradat carrying pipe bombs and explosive charges, wearing a PIJ headband (T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024)
Jaradat wearing a PIJ cap and carrying a PIJ flag. The accompanying message reads: "Today saw the departure of the lion cub and jihad fighter Wasim Jaradat, who has joined the good and blessed procession of martyrs on the road to Jerusalem" (T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024)
Mahmoud Qarini Posed With Assault Rifle Bearing Logo Of Al-Aqsa Brigades
On the same day, WAFA reported that another Palestinian teen, Mahmoud Fares Qarini (16), had been killed by Israeli army fire. The report said that "the boy Qarini was executed in the yard of a house where he was sheltering with his friend," and that "the occupation army surrounded the house and shot the boy and his friend at point-blank range…" The report was accompanied by the picture below, which shows him unarmed:[4]
The picture of Qarini published by WAFA (Wafa.ps, May 22, 2024)
Conversely, the message posted that day on the Jenin Al-Qassam Telegram channel shows Qarini armed with a rifle and calls him "a martyr and jihad fighter."[5]
The picture and message posted on the Jenin Al-Qassam Telegram channel: "The martyr and jihad fighter Mahmoud Al-Qarini" (T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024)
Another picture, posted to Facebook, shows Qarini armed with a rifle that bears the logo of Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.[6]
PIJ Telegram Post Identifies Jaradat And Qarini As Jihad Fighters Killed In "Heroic Battle" Against The Occupation
Moreover, a message posted by the Jenin Brigade on Telegram lists Jaradat and Qarini among the brigade's "brave jihad fighters [who were killed] while waging a heroic battle against the occupation, bringing many disasters upon it, ambushing it and showering its soldiers and gear with bullets and explosives."[7]
Part of Jenin Brigade Telegram post listing fighters killed in clashes with Israeli forces (T.me/sarayajneen, May 23, 2024)
[1] See MEMRI reports: Special Dispatch No. 11083 - While Palestinian Authority Says Israel Murders Palestinian 'Children' Without Provocation, Fatah Military Wing Praises These 'Children' As Martyrs For Their Attempted Terror Attacks In West Bank During Which They Were Killed By Israel, January 18, 2023; Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1715 - Palestinian Authority Media Present Slain Terrorists As Innocent Children Murdered In Cold Blood - September 5, 2023.
[2] Wafa.ps, May 22, 2024.
[3] T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024.
[4] Wafa.ps, May 22, 2024.
[5] T.me/jeninqassam, May 22, 2024.
[6] Facebook.com/nawras.sbaihat.1, May 22, 2024. Although affiliated with the PIJ, the Jenin Brigade, like other terror militias in the northern West Bank, includes operatives from various organizations, and it is sometimes difficult to determine the affiliation of slain terrorists from the organization's announcements. Some operatives may move from one organization to another or belong to several organizations at once. See for instance the comment about Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi in MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10152 - Palestinian Press Glorifies Mother Of Terrorist Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, Who Expressed Pride And Joy Over Her Son's Martyrdom – August 22, 2022.
[7] T.me/sarayajneen, May 23, 2024. The first name on the list is Mahmoud Fares Arsan, i.e., Fares Qarini (see Facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550026974384, May 22, 2024). Wasim Jaradat is the fourth name from the bottom.
