An American citizen known as Osama al-Zebda was killed on May 12 in Gaza while fighting with the Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades during the recent conflict, The Jerusalem Post reports quoting Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal’s (FDD) report.
Joe Truzman, a contributor to FDD, wrote on Saturday that al-Zebda was on a US terrorist watch list and his death has been featured on Palestinian media as well as the death of his father Jamal al-Zebda, a well-known Hamas engineer, who was also killed in the May 12 airstrike.
Numerous Americans have joined terrorist groups over the last decades and some have been killed in the fights abroad, most infamous of which is Adam Gadahn, who was working with Al Qaeda and was killed in a US drone strike.
According to Truzman, long-time expert on militant and terrorist groups, specifically covering Gaza, Osama al-Zebda appears to have been the target of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military campaign in Gaza. Multiple commanders and mid-level Hamas militants were reportedly killed during the 10-day operation.
It is unclear if Osama was born in the US or was a naturalized citizen.
Jamal al-Zebda (64), who has a PhD in mechanical engineering, specializing in aerodynamics, was the head of the Rockets development department within Hamas while his son Osama (33) was an engineer at the rockets department.
IDF’s Hebrew-language site describes Jamal as senior member of Hamas’s research and development division. He was also one of the commanders who had made up the core of Hamas’s military project, including brigade commander for Gaza City Bassem Issa, Jomaa Tahla, Jamal al-Zebda, Kazem al-Khatib, Walid Shmali and Sami Radwan.”
Truzman’s report claims that social media are circulating images of Osama al-Zebda and his father and called them martyrs.
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