Bethlehem district Fatah Al-Aksa Brigade terrorist Mohammad Abayat was killed instantly in Beit-Jalla yesterday, when the public telephone he was using inside a phone booth exploded in his hand. Abayat was one of the wanted Arabs who took Christian clergy hostage, forcing 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 who was 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 who was 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.