Today (Tuesday), senior Islamic Jihad official Bassam al-Saadi was sentenced as part of a plea agreement, the IDF announced. Al-Saadi, who served as Islamic Jihad's leader in the Smaria region, was convicted of activity in an illegal association, incitement and impersonation.
The plea agreement was drawn up following a mediation process before a military judge.
According to the indictment, al-Saadi worked alongside additional suspects to advance the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization's activities within its student wing, among other things, by receiving funding from an IJ operative in Gaza and purchasing flags and scarves. In addition, al-Saadi called for the continuation of the violent Palestinian struggle. Moreover, when Israeli security forces arrived to apprehend him, al-Saadi impersonated someone else in an attempt to escape arrest.
The Military Prosecution accepted al-Saadi's plea agreement and sentenced him to 22 months in prison, along with a suspended sentence and financial compensation.
Al-Saadi was arrested on August 1, 2022. Following his arrest, Islamic Jihad threatened to attack Israel from Judea and Samaria as well as from Gaza, prompting Israel to to precautionary measures to protect its civilians in the Gaza envelope and launch a pre-emptive military operation in Gaza, Operation Breaking Dawn.