Mahmoud Tawalbe (1980-6 April 2002) was a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) from Jenin, Palestine. He was killed during Operation Defensive Shield.
Biography[]
Mahmoud Tawalbe worked at a record store in Jenin, West Bank, Palestine, before becoming the commander of the local Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) cell. He was responsible for many attacks on Israel, and when the Israel Defense Force (IDF) launched Operation Defensive Shield in 2002 to destroy the PIJ in the West Bank, he ordered his men (and children) to construct booby traps in Jenin. During the Battle of Jenin in 2002, Tawalbe attempted to destroy a passing Israeli AFV from a three-story house, but an alert Israeli Caterpillar D9 bulldozer pushed a wall on top of him, killing him. After the battle, Palestinians and Arabs worldwide saw him as a hero, and Palestinians see him as a martyr, while the Israelis see him as a cruel and ruthless terrorist.