The Egyptian Armed Forces, in cooperation with a union of Arab tribes in Sinai, located and dispatched Palestinian IS militant Abu Kazem Al-Maqdisi — the orchestrator of the Al-Rawda Mosque Massacre that took place in North Sinai and claimed the lives of 305 victims — according to anonymous tribal sources.
The tribal sources asserted that Al-Maqdisi was killed on Monday morning in a fire fight with the Egyptian Armed Forces and other tribal members in North Sinai.
“Nine other militants were killed and three were apprehended, and military are still ongoing until all takfiri threats are dealt with,” they added.
Who is Abu Kazem Al-Maqdisi?
Hamza Adel Mohammad Al-Zamili — who was more commonly known as Abu Kazem Al-Maqdisi — was a resident of the Zorob area of the Gaza Strip and one of the most prominent leaders of ISIS in Sinai and the second largest legal mufti of the organisation.
Al-Maqdisi was born in Gaza in 1992 and fled the strip to Sinai after being accused of stealing shops and drug trafficking in Palestinian Rafah. There he joined ISIS with the help of his brother Mohammad Adel Al-Zamili, who was killed before in a confrontation with the Egyptian Armed Forces
The Al-Rawda Mosque Massacre
Al-Maqdisi was most known for orchestrating the massacre of the Al-Rawda Mosque Massacre in the Bir Al-Abd area of North Sinai in November 2017, which resulted in the deaths of 305 civilians, 27 of which were children.
The Egyptian Armed Forces’ anti-terrorism offensive
Last May, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced the death of 23 terrorists during a military operation in Sinai following the thwarting of a terrorist attack that targeted a water pumping station.
The military spokesperson announced the pursuit and besieging of several terrorists in isolated areas adjacent to the border areas and the destruction of several of their outposts and ammunition stores.
