Mohammad Hassan Abu Tir, a senior Hamas militant originally from Jerusalem, was arrested on Monday, 24 November 2025. According to Palestinian sources, Israeli forces arrived at dawn at his current residence in the village of Deir Salah, near Bethlehem, and detained him. An unverified report on Israel’s Channel 14 claimed that Israeli security authorities issued Abu Tir an administrative detention order and that he is currently held in the Rakefet wing, the most secure facility in Israel’s prison system. The wing houses members of Hamas’s Nukhba unit who took part in the 7 October attacks in the Gaza border communities.
Who Is Mohammad Hassan Abu Tir and What Is His Background?
Abu Tir, now around 75, was born in the Jerusalem village of Umm Tuba. For decades, he was known for his bright orange henna-dyed beard. He has said he adopted the practice in accordance with the Prophet Muhammad’s tradition and because he believed it helped with dandruff and headaches.
He joined Fatah at age 20 in the early 1970s. After undergoing training in Lebanon, he was arrested upon returning to Israel. During his imprisonment, his Islamic beliefs deepened, and he later joined the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1984, while in Nafha Prison, he met Ahmed Yassin, founder of Hamas. After their release in the first Jibril prisoner exchange, Abu Tir joined Hamas and was appointed by Adel Awadallah, then head of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank, as the commander of operations in Jerusalem.
After the Awadallah brothers were killed in 1998, Abu Tir sought revenge and plotted to poison Jerusalem’s water supply, intending to cause mass casualties. The plan was exposed, he was arrested, and sentenced to life in prison. Ahead of the 2005 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, he was released after serving about seven years. Abu Tir subsequently won a seat in the Palestinian parliament (now inactive), representing Jerusalem on behalf of Hamas.
Following his election, Israel revoked his Jerusalem residency and ordered him to leave the city. When he refused, he was arrested. Since then, he has spent many periods in Israeli prisons. Despite his advanced age, he continued involvement in extremist activity and has spent roughly half of his adult life behind bars.
