Whether kidnapped, killed, or hiding, rumors abound for missing Hamas leader
Palestine, Local, 9/15/1997

Dr. Ibrahim Maqadmeh, one of the leaders of Hamas' military wing and considered to be one of the organization's extremists, suddenly dropped out of sight four days ago, fueling widespread speculation as to his whereabouts. Although Hamas officially placed the blame for his abduction on Israel, sources associated with Hamas in Gaza said that Dr. Maqadmeh chose a self-disappearance in light of recent feud that broke out between him and another military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Deif.

According to various reports, Deif had reached an agreement with the PNA to refrain from carrying out or masterminding attacks on Israel from within the Gaza Strip. Israel at the time protested to the PNA at what it then termed the growing coordination between Deif and the Palestinian security forces. Maqadmeh's disappearance, Hamas circles believe, was designed to give himself a time out to sit down and prepare for a new campaign of attacks on Israel without being hindered by fellow members of the military wing of the movement.

A source said that over the last few months, there were differences within the rank and file of Izziddin Al Qassam, the military wing of Hamas. While Deif, whose name tops a list of wanted Palestinians which Israel submitted to the Palestinian National Authority several months ago, is said by those sources to be against military attacks on Israelis as long as they are staged from within the PNA areas, Maqadmeh was in favor of these kinds of attacks and even strongly urged for them to be stepped up.

At the beginning of March, 1996, following a wave of suicide attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Dr. Makadmeh was arrested by the PNA and accused of heading the secret Hamas military wing. He was released last March, and shortly afterwards he delivered an incendiary speech supporting suicide bombings following the bomb blast at a Tel Aviv cafe. He was then sought by the PNA but managed to escape and went underground. In an interview with one of Hamas' official organs, he reportedly admitted being "an advisor" to the Brigades of Izziddin Al Qassam.

Another rumor spreading in the Gaza Strip had Maqadmeh killed-- or at least held--by Deif or his people because, "He started to form a real danger to Deif's leadership in the Brigades of Izziddin Al Qassam." But no Hamas members would confirm this rumor, while most of them characterized it as "Mideastern hallucination."

The accusation directed at Israel came a day after Maqadmeh's disappearance but was never repeated. Unlike previous campaigns by Hamas, this time there have not been any follow up leaflets or statements with regard to the mysterious disappearance.

Even Dr. Abdul Aziz Rantisi, a hard-line member of Hamas, did not speak decisively about the disappearance. In his comments, Rantisi said: "If Maqadmeh was kidnapped, then the Zionist gangs led by Netanyahu bear full responsibility for his life and welfare." Starting his comment with "if" reflects the amount of uncertainty existent within Hamas itself regarding Maqadmeh's whereabouts. Dr. Ghazi Hamad, another Hamas leader in Gaza, said Maqadmeh was not living in his home and nobody knew where he was. He said this is proof Maqadmeh was indeed kidnapped by Israel but admitted there is no official confirmation that he was in fact abducted.

Israel, has taken strong measures to secure many shopping centers and busy sites, mainly in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, after a number of "hot warnings" were received that Hamas was likely to carry out a suicide attack on Sunday. The fear of an imminent attack has increased over the past few days since Maqadmeh was first reported missing, beacuse Israel suspects him of being the mastermind of a series of attacks on Israelis. The alerts received in Israel spoke not only of suicide attacks but also of possible violent clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli troops in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These clashes, Israeli security experts said, could lead to a general conflagration throughout the Palestinian territories.

Israel denied having any connection to Maqadmeh's kidnapping. David Bar-Ilan, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, said Israel didn't even know Maqadmeh had been kidnapped. Netanyahu's political adviser, Dr. Uzi Arad, who is a former Mossad officer, said: "In principle, Israel retains the right to act against Hamas members of this type, but that doesn't mean this principle applies in the present case."

"Whether he is abducted by Israel or he opted to hide for some time, the fact of the matter is Hamas has threatened to carry out attacks and experience shows that when Hamas makes threats, regrettably, it carries them out," an Israeli official was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Previous Stories:
  Albright failed to reach a compromise between Syrian and Israeli   (9/13/1997)
  SPECIAL REPORT: Classified information on suicide bombers revealed   (9/12/1997)
  Jordan detains Hamas spokesman   (9/8/1997)

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