The mother of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist that decapitated a fallen Israeli soldier in Gaza in 2004 told a television interviewer last month that her son’s act makes her “feel proud and stand tall” to this day.
Al-Quds Today TV (Palestine) aired a Sept. 22 interview with the mother of Muhammad Yasser Arhim, an Al-Quds Brigades member who was killed in a clash with Israeli forces in April 2002, and Hazem Yasser Arhim, an Al-Quds Brigades commander killed by an Israeli airstrike in July 2004.
Earlier that year, Hazem had cut off and publicly displayed the head of an Israeli soldier who had been killed along with five other soldiers in a May 12, 2004 Islamic Jihad attack on an Israeli armored vehicle in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
The interviewer asked the men’s mother, named only as “Umm Maher,” if she felt pride when she sees images of her son “heroically” holding the head of a Zionist soldier.
“Even today, I am very proud of him,” answered the mother. “[Everybody is] familiar with Hazem’s story and how he walked around with the soldier’s head after he snatched it. … I always take pride in this wherever I go.”
The broadcast showed videos and images of Hazem holding a sack that supposedly contained the soldier’s head.
The following are translated excerpts from the interview:
Presenter: Dear viewers, for those of you who are not familiar with Hazem Arhim, he was a prominent commander in the Al-Quds Brigades who took the head of a soldier during an operation that was carried out by the Al-Quds Brigades in the Zeitoun neighborhood [in Gaza]. Six of the occupation soldiers were killed in the bombing of their Merkava tank. Everyone chanted “Allah Akbar” following this operation. All the people in the Gaza Strip were exhilarated when the martyr Hazem took the soldier’s head and presented it for the whole world to see. Everybody witnessed this heroic operation.
[…]
Umm Maher, when you see your son holding the head of a Zionist soldier and showing the whole world how the Zionist soldier was killed in the Merkava tank bombing operation… What did you feel? Were you very proud of this heroic achievement by Hazem?
Umm Maher: Allah be praised, even today I am very proud of him. All the countries of the world are familiar with Hazem’s story, and how he walked around with the soldier’s head after he snatched it. I always take pride in this where I go. Allah be praised, it makes me feel proud and stand tall.
Presenter: Allah be praised.
Umm Maher: Allah be praised.
[…]
