(Updated Monday 9:45 AM) Bethlehem district Fatah Tanzim terrorist Mohammad Abayat was killed instantly in Beit-Jalla yesterday, when the public telephone he was using exploded against his head. Abayat was one of the wanted Arabs who took Christian clergy hostages and forced a standoff at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity this past April. While the PLO accuses Israel of booby-trapping Abayat’s phone, the IDF has not commented on the incident.
Several other members of the Abayat family are known terrorists. Mohammad’s brother Nasser is the current Tanzim chief in Bethlehem, while Abayat’s cousin Ibrahim – another Tanzim terrorist holed up at the Church of the Nativity - was deported to Europe at the standoff’s conclusion. Two other terrorists from the Abayat clan were killed by Israel in precise military strikes over the past several years.
Several other members of the Abayat family are known terrorists. Mohammad’s brother Nasser is the current Tanzim chief in Bethlehem, while Abayat’s cousin Ibrahim – another Tanzim terrorist holed up at the Church of the Nativity - was deported to Europe at the standoff’s conclusion. Two other terrorists from the Abayat clan were killed by Israel in precise military strikes over the past several years.