PIJ Reveals Terrorist Commanders Posed as Journalists, Nurses, and Lawyers
Analysis of Palestinian Islamic Jihad's casualty list reveals numerous terrorist commanders with dual roles, including journalists, lawyers, and nurses
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) released a list of 86 commanders killed during the Gaza war, revealing a systematic pattern in which operatives held simultaneous positions in civilian professions and terrorist military units.
Analysis by Israel Policy Forum Senior Policy Associate Gabriel Epstein identified 43 individuals in the first half of the list who maintained dual roles—10 of whom worked publicly as journalists, nurses, and lawyers while commanding PIJ military operations.
The Dual-Role Pattern
Among the individuals identified were three journalists: Mohammed Mohammed Nasser Kamel Abu Huweidi served as a reporter for the privately owned al-Istiqlal news outlet while commanding PIJ’s Central Military Media Unit until his death in a December 2023 airstrike.
Mohammed Nabil Ibrahim al-Zaq worked for the PIJ-affiliated al-Quds Today TV and held the rank of Head of PIJ’s Central Bureau in the Northern Region before being killed in a November 2023 airstrike. Salem Hosni Salem Abu Tayr was listed as a photojournalist and financial manager for al-Quds Today TV while serving as a commander in PIJ’s Military Media Unit in the Central Brigade. He was killed in an April 2024 airstrike.
The list also identified three nurses embedded in PIJ command structures. Salem Juma Ishaq Sharab worked as a nurse at Nasser Hospital and served as treasurer of the Palestinian Nursing Association while commanding PIJ’s Military Ambulance Unit in the Khan Younis Brigade. He was killed in a March 2024 airstrike near the Emirates Hospital in Rafah.
Diaa Nafez Abdulhadi Felfel worked as an emergency room supervisor at the Indonesian Hospital in north Gaza while commanding PIJ’s Military Ambulance Unit in the Northern Brigade. He was killed in a May 2024 airstrike. Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Balousha worked in a corneal transplant unit at the Eye Hospital in Gaza City while commanding PIJ’s Military Judiciary Unit in the Gaza Brigade, killed in December 2023.
Organizational Structure Revealed
According to Epstein’s findings, of the 43 commanders analyzed, 30 were directly connected to one of PIJ’s five regional brigades in Gaza, while 13 were attached to independent or central units.
The list detailed specific command assignments: a military media unit, military ambulance units, military judiciary operations, and central administrative bureaus. Mohammed Jaber Dakhlallah Abu Mustafa, who founded and directed the National Youth Center NGO in Khan Younis, commanded operations in PIJ’s Khan Younis Brigade until his death in December 2024.
The analysis also identified network connections between operatives and civil society organizations. Arafat Abullah Mohammed al-Jarjawi served as Deputy Commander of PIJ’s al-Ourubi Battalion in Khan Younis. His brother, Ashraf al-Jarjawi, reportedly serves as the Gaza director of the Arab World Research and Development Center (AWRAD), which conducts polling in the Gaza Strip.
Epstein’s analysis cross-referenced the released names against the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health’s death toll list, finding that 38 of the 43 commanders appeared in official Palestinian casualty records. The individuals were identified by Palestinian national ID numbers provided by PIJ, enabling verification of their identities and roles.