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	{{Short description\|Commander of the Rafah company of the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades}}		{{Short description\|Commander of the Rafah company of the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades}}
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	{{Infobox military person		{{Infobox military person
	\| honorific_prefix = Commander of [[al-Qassam Brigades]] in [[Rafah]]		\| honorific_prefix = Commander of [[al-Qassam Brigades]] in [[Rafah]]

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{{Short description|Commander of the Rafah company of the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades}}
{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Commander of [[al-Qassam Brigades]] in [[Rafah]]
| name = Raed al Atar
| image =Raed_al_Atar.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Raed al Atar
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year|1974}}
| death_date = {{Death date|2014|8|21|df=yes}} (aged 39 or 40)
| birth_place = [[State of Palestine|Palestine]], [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]
| death_place = [[Rafah|Rafah, Gaza]]
| branch =
| unit =
| commands =
| battles =* [[Gaza War (2008–09)]]
* [[Operation Stones of Baked Clay]]
* [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]]}}

'''Raed al Atar''' (1974–2014) was the commander of the [[Rafah]] company of the [[Hamas]] [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades]] and member of the Hamas high military council. According to the [[Congressional Research Service]] analyst Jim Zanotti, his command was important due to Rafah being the destination point for the [[Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels|smuggling tunnels from Egypt]].<ref name="CRS1"/>

In 2010, al Atar reportedly held significant power and influence in the Gaza Strip, and asserted authority over the smuggling tunnels.<ref name="Pfeffer"/><ref name="Xinhua">"Hamas threats to kidnap more Israeli soldiers". Xinhua, 28 March 2009.</ref> He was the third most senior Hamas military commander, according to Israel.<ref>[https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/two-hamas-commanders-killed-in-israeli-air-strike-in-gaza-1.1904190 "Two Hamas commanders killed in Israeli air strike in Gaza"] by Mark Weiss, in Jerusalem, 22 August 2014, irishtimes.com; accessed 27 August 2014.</ref>

In April 1995, al Atar was sentenced, following a quick trial by the [[Palestinian Authority]] court, to two years in jail for training with illegal weapons.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/03/world/palestinians-hold-quick-secret-trials.html Palestinians Hold Quick, Secret Trials"], ''New York Times''; 3 May 1995; accessed 22 August 2014.</ref><ref>"Palestinian Authority alleged to run secret 'trials' lasting just a few minutes", ''The Baltimore Sun'', 4 May 1995.</ref>

On 1 February 1999 a Palestinian police captain, Rifat Joudah, was killed in Gaza a shootout with al Atar and two other members of Hamas, as he was trying to arrest them. The men sped away, running over an 8-year-old girl, Fadwa Abu Jerwana, who died from her injuries.<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/ORIENTE_PROXIMO/PALESTINA/HAMAS_/PALESTINA/ACUERDO_DE_WYE_PLANTATION_/OCTUBRE_1998/policia/palestino/nina/mueren/tiroteo/militantes/Hamas/elpepiint/19990202elpepiint_19/Tes "Un policía palestino y una niña mueren en un tiroteo con militantes de Hamás"], ''El Pais'', 2 February 1999. {{in lang|es}}</ref> The men were subsequently arrested in the [[Al-Shati (camp)|Shati refugee camp]] following a second exchange of fire with security forces. In April that year, al Atar was sentenced to death by the Palestinian Authority for the killing of Rifat Joudah. As soon as the death sentence was pronounced, al Atar's relatives took to the streets and stoned the Joudeh home.<ref>"Death penalty fallout challenges Arafat", ''Laredo Morning Times'', 15 March 1999.</ref> Violent protests in Gaza resulted in two deaths.<ref>Joel Greenberg, [http://articles.sfgate.com/1999-03-11/news/17680734_1_palestinian-security-palestinian-court-palestinian-authority "Two Killed in Riots In Gaza Over Death Sentence/Palestinian court ruling causes demonstrations"], ''New York Times'', 11 March 1999.</ref><ref>Barzak, Ibrahim. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19990315&id=5fAyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nggGAAAAIBAJ&pg=5777,3508917 Death sentence decision puts Arafat's judgement to the test], Associated Press via ''Free Lance-Star'', 15 March 1999.</ref> Following the riots and criticism of the trial, [[Yasser Arafat]] met with civic leaders in Rafah and asked them to restore calm, promising to review the death sentence.<ref>Khaled Amayreh. [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/421/re8.htm "Arafat bows to street pressure"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514094211/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/421/re8.htm |date=2011-05-14 }}, Ahram.org.eg; accessec 22 August 2014.</ref><ref>''San Francisco Chronicle'', p. A10, 2 February 1999; accessed 21 August 2014.</ref>

In 2006, al Atar directed the [[2006 Gaza cross-border raid|cross-border raid]] in which Israeli soldier [[Gilad Shalit]] was captured. He was also present during Shalit's release from captivity during the [[Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange|2011 prisoner exchange]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/08/israeli-strikes-hit-3-top-hamas-leaders.html|title=Israeli Strikes Kill 3 Hamas Leaders as Military Wing Takes Responsibility for Kidnappings}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/gilad-shalit-and-hamas-commander-raed-al-attar/|title = Gilad Shalit and Hamas commander Raed Al-Attar|website = [[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>

During the 2009 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]], al Atar fled to [[Arish|el-Arīsh, Sinai]], along with Mohammed Sanwar, a militant who had helped coordinate the abduction of an Israeli soldier, [[Gilad Shalit]].<ref>Amos Harel. "Reservists join Gaza fighting ahead of third stage of Operation Cast Lead."  January 2009.</ref> That year, al Atar told reporters that if Israel did not accept the Hamas' demands to free 1,450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, Hamas would kidnap more soldiers.<ref name="Xinhua"/>

Reports surfaced that al Atar authorized the [[Rocket attacks on Eilat and Aqaba|August 2010 firing]] of [[BM-21 Grad|Grad]]-style rockets from the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] Peninsula at [[Eilat]], [[Israel]] and [[Aqaba]], [[Jordan]].<ref name="CRS1">{{CRS|article=Jim Zanotti. Hamas: Background and Issues for Congress|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R41514.pdf}}</ref><ref>Egypt Reveals Arrest Of Terror Squad On The Sinai. Palestine News Network</ref><ref>Jack Khoury. [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/egypt-held-alleged-terror-squad-prior-to-eilat-rocket-attack-report-says-1.306675 "Egypt held alleged terror squad prior to Eilat rocket attack, report says"], ''Haaretz'', 8 August 2010.</ref> According to Palestinian sources, al Atar authorized the attack, with the approval of the Hamas leadership abroad, including [[Khaled Meshal]], and with the backing of [[Iran]]ian intelligence agents. According to some reports, the attack took place reportedly without the knowledge of his direct commander, [[Ahmed Jabari]],<ref name="Pfeffer">Anshel Pfeffer, Avi Issacharoff. [http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/pa-hamas-military-chief-in-rafah-ordered-rocket-attacks-on-eilat-aqaba-1.306284 "PA: Hamas Military Chief in Rafah Ordered Rocket Attacks on Eilat, Aqaba"], ''Haaretz'', 6 August 2010.</ref> while according to Egyptian officials, such an operation could not have been carried out without Jabari's approval.<ref>Avi Issacharoff. [http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/arab-paper-intel-chief-diskin-visited-Cairo-to-discuss-rockets-1.306625 "Arab paper: Intel chief Diskin visited Cairo to discuss rockets"], haaretz.com; accessed 27 August 2014.</ref>

==Death==
Raed al Atar was killed along with two other senior operatives of Hamas during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah on 21 August 2014, during the [[2014 Israel-Gaza conflict]].<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-gaza-idINL5N0QR0P020140821 Death of al Atar], reuters.com, 21 August 2014; accessed 22 August 2014.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atar, Raed al}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:People from the Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:People convicted of arms trafficking]]
[[Category:Assassinated Palestinian people]]
[[Category:Palestinian prisoners sentenced to death]]
[[Category:Hamas military members]]
[[Category:Palestinian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:Assassinated Hamas members]]
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]

Raed al Atar - Revision history

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