Terrorist behind deadly bombing falls to his death a week after release under Gaza deal
Hamas’s Nael Obeid was jailed for 2003 Cafe Hillel bombing in Jerusalem; 7 fatalities included Dr. David Applebaum, hospital emergency room head, and his daughter Nava, on the eve of her wedding
Nael Obeid, a Hamas terrorist notorious for his role in the deadly 2003 Cafe Hillel bombing in Jerusalem, fell to his death near his home in East Jerusalem after being freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange a week ago.
Obeid went free on February 15 as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which has seen Israel free hundreds of terrorists, many of them convicted for deadly attacks, in return for hostages taken on October 7, 2023.
The cause of his fall was not immediately clear. He was pronounced dead at Hadassah Medical Center near Mount Scopus on Saturday afternoon, according to local Palestinian media.
Obeid helped plan one of the most infamous suicide bombing attacks during the Second Intifada, which killed seven people and wounded 57 others at Cafe Hillel in the capital’s Emek Refaim Street.
At the time, Obeid headed a Hamas cell in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya alongside his relative, Ahmad Obeid. The cell took orders from Hamas operatives in Ramallah, who procured them a suicide bomber to go through with the attack.
The two spent over a year scoping out potential terror targets and accumulating weapons before transporting 22-year-old Ramez Abu Salim to the bustling street, where he carried out the bombing on September 9, 2003.
Among the victims of the bombing were Dr. David Applebaum, who treated suicide bombing victims as head of Shaare Zedek Hospital’s emergency room, and his daughter Nava, who was to be married the next day.
Arrested a year later, Obeid was handed seven life sentences, plus an extra 30 years, for his role in the deadly bombing.
The Times of Israel Community.