Ziyad al-Nakhalah

Ziyad al-Nakhalah (Arabic: زياد نخالة‎) is the leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).[1] He is based in Damascus, Syria.[2]

Ziyad al-Nakhalah
Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
Assumed office
28 September 2018
Preceded byRamadan Shalah
Personal details
Born (1953-04-06) April 6, 1953
Khan Yunis, All-Palestine Protectorate
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyIslamic Jihad Movement in Palestine

Biography

Born in 1953 in Khan Yunis, Gaza,[3][4] Al-Nakhala was detained by Israel a number of times since 1971.[5] In 1971, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel because of his militant activities with the Arab Liberation Front. He was one of the 1,500 security prisoners released by Israel on 21 May 1985 in a prisoner swap under the Jibril Agreement.

Upon his release from Israeli prison, then-PIJ secretary-general Fathi Shikaki tasked Nakhalah with establishing the group’s military wing in the Gaza Strip.[3] Al-Nakhalah was detained again by Israel in April 1988 for his role in the first Intifada, and was exiled to Lebanon in August 1988 with other PIJ leaders.

Al-Nakhala became deputy secretary general of PIJ in 1995.

On 23 January 2014, al-Nakhalah was designated a Specially Designated Terrorist by the United States, resulting in his property and interests in the United States being frozen.[5] The US also offered a $5-million reward for information leading to his capture.[3]

Al-Nakhalah was elected secretary general of PIJ on 28 September 2018, succeeding Ramadan Shalah, who suffered a series of strokes in April 2018.[5][1]

References
  1. "Islamic Jihad Names New Chief to Replace Ill Long-time Leader". haaretz. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  2. IDF: Islamic Jihad 'deliberately' fired rocket that landed offshore
  3. Who is Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the Islamic Jihad's Beirut-based chief?, The Jerusalem Post
  4. من هو زياد نخالة؟. almanar (in Arabic). 28 September 2018.
  5. Mapping Palestinian Politics - Ziyad al-Nakhalah
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