Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, is to be released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Zubeidi, 49, is one of the most high-profile of 110 prisoners, including 30 minors, to be freed in exchange for three Israelis, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said.
Zubeidi rose to prominence during the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, becoming one of the best-known militant leaders in Jenin and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
It was during the uprising that Zubeidi’s mother was shot and killed when the Israeli army raided the camp.
He is known by Israeli security services as the man behind several deadly, high-profile attacks against Israelis.
Long years of militancy
Zubeidi became active with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’ Fatah party after a stint in prison in 1989 at age 14.
Re-arrested in 1990 for throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli forces, he rose through the ranks and eventually became leader for Fatah’s armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, in Jenin.
Released again in 1994 under the Oslo Accords, he joined the newly created Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the West Bank city of Jericho along with other former inmates.
In 2001, Zubeidi was injured in an accidental explosion during a “military mission” that caused severe burns on his face and eyes still visible today.
-‘The Black Rat’-
Forced into hiding due to his continued militancy, Zubeidi remained a fugitive until 2007, when he agreed to hand over his weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
The deal, which was extended to all fugitives who chose to comply, saw Zubeidi’s name removed from Israel’s list of wanted individuals.
But in 2011, Israel revoked Zubeidi’s amnesty for undisclosed reasons. He was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of involvement in multiple shooting attacks near the Israeli settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah.
The militant has claimed to have survived several assassination attempts by Israel which has reportedly nicknamed him “The Black Rat” for his ability to evade the targeting.
Among Palestinians, Zubeidi is known as a power broker in Jenin, as well as one of the few inmates to have escaped Israel’s high-security Gilboa Prison in 2021.
With five other prisoners, he escaped through a tunnel dug under the prison walls but was recaptured five days later.
Theatre
Zubeidi also became involved in theatre in Jenin, a densely populated refugee camp created in the early 1950s to host Palestinians who fled their homes at Israel’s creation.
As a child, he joined activities in Arna’s House, a community space and theatre founded by Israeli activist Arna Mer-Khamis for the camp’s youth, located in the same building that his family lived.
In a 2002 raid, the Israeli army destroyed the community playhouse, which was later rebuilt and renamed the Freedom Theatre.
After the 2007 amnesty, Zubeidi returned to Jenin and was involved again with the camp’s theatre.
In the same period he also became openly critical of the Palestinian Authority.
During his years in jail, three of Zubeidi’s brothers, as well as his son Muhammad, were killed by the Israeli military.
Sources close to Zubeidi said that his first plans upon release were to visit the grave of his son, whose funeral he missed while in jail.
