Former head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement buried in Syria

The former head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement was laid to rest in the Syrian capital Damascus, a day after he passed away following a long illness.

According to Tasnim news agency, hundreds of people attended the funeral of Ramadhan Abdullah Shallah, 62, who had been in a coma for more than three years after a heart surgery.

Shallah was buried following the afternoon prayers in the Palestinian Refugee Camp of Yarmouk in Damascus on Sunday. His funeral was attended by Syria-based Palestinian officials.

Shallah led the resistance group for over 20 years, after its Founder, Fathi Shaqaqi, was shot and martyred in Malta in a 1995 attack widely attributed to Israel. In 2018, the group named Shallah’s Deputy, Ziad al-Nakhalah, as the new leader.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad has offices in Syria and Lebanon, but most of its activities are focused in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

“We pledge to continue the route of resistance until we liberate Palestine with the allies in Syria, Iran and Hezbollah,” al-Nakhalah told the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV during the funeral.

ME