The IDF killed Amir Yusuf Mansi, who was the commander of Hamas rocket cells operating…
The IDF killed Amir Yusuf Mansi, who was the commander of Hamas rocket cells operating in the Gaza City area. Manasi, engineer in his education, was killed in aerial assault while firing mortar shells at IDF forces in Gaza. According to the Israeli army Mansi played a major role in Grad rocket strategy concept adopted from Hezbollah in Lebanon and its implementation and deployment during the past years as a strategic weapon waging attacks on Israeli communities. Mansi was killed in an aerial assault while attempting to fire mortar shells at IDF ground forces.[1] According to Hamas forum, Amir Mansi was the senior son of the Hamas communication minister Dr. Yusuf Mansi.[2]
Minister Dr. Mansi is a PHD in building construction, after his return from Saudi Arabia where he spent 13 years; in 1993 he was appointed as construction engineer at the engineering department of the Islamic University in Gaza, which is known as a Hamas stronghold. Within this capacity, he was the chief designer of construction facilities of the university including its laboratories, which were used by Hamas. The Hamas government in Gaza, on 18 March 2007 appointed him as the minister of telecom and information technology.[3]
Hamas used these laboratories that were an inseparable part of Hamas’ research and development program, as well as places that served as storage facilities for the organization. The development of these weapons took place under the auspices of senior lecturers who are activists in Hamas. Among the weapons that have been developed and manufactured at this site are Qassam rockets. The Israeli Air Force raided the laboratories on 29 December 2008 within Cast Lead operation against Hamas.
Additionally, Dr. Mansi was the Dean of the engineering department of the Islamic university in Gaza, involved as chief engineer in planning clinics financed and operated by several charitable organizations that are known to be Hamas front organizations which were designated out lawed by Israel and the USA. Among them are the Islamic Society in Gaza (founded by Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin) and Dar Al Salam in Khan Younis (known as a Hamas front), a feasibility study for KindHearts charitable organization in Gaza, which was outlawed and its assets were frozen in the USA. On February 19, 2006 U.S. law enforcement authorities have frozen the assets of an Ohio-based Islamic charity organization, KindHearts, which is linked to Hamas, the Palestinian group it accuses of backing terrorism.[4]
Senior Researcher & Head of the Terrorism Prosecution Desk, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel Col.(Ret.) Jonathan Fighel served in various operational and field positions in the Intelligence Gathering and Research Department of the Intelligence Corps of the IDF. Since 1999 Jonathan Fighel is a senior research scholar and Director of the Intelligence Assistance for Terrorism Prosecution Department at ICT, IDC Herzliya-Israel. He is an expert on Palestinian terror organization, counter-terrorism, and Middle East affairs. Col. Fighel holds M.A degree in Middle East Studies from Tel Aviv University and combines academic and operational experience in combating terrorism. He has extensive counter-terrorism experience, expert on the Palestinian Authority, Islamist organizations (Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Qaeda) the Palestinian suicide terrorism phenomenon and funding terrorism, the use of the Internet and a tool for propaganda, recruitment fundraising, and as a radicalization catalyst regarding the “homegrown” terrorism phenomenon. He is also a member of the International Academic Counter Terrorism Community (ICTAC). A media commentator on security counter-terrorism, he has lectured in a number of universities and law enforcement agencies around the world, including the US, India, Italy, Singapore, Turkey, Australia, Spain and Germany. Col. Fighel is frequently invited for lectures and orientation courses in IDF, Israel National Police, The Border Police, Israeli Security Agency (ISA), FBI, N.Y Police, TSA, Scotland Yard, London police and NATO- COE-DAT Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism in Turkey. The Israeli Defense Minister appoints him as a member of academic and governmental research teams on Palestinian suicide bombers and was a consulting member of the Minister of Transportation’s advisory team.
