Sheikh Abu Salah Taha

Sheikh Abu Salah Taha
الشيخ أبو صلاح طه
DiedApril 4, 2015
Yarmouk Camp, Damascus, Syria
Cause of deathBeheading by Islamic State
NationalityPalestinian
Years active2014-15
OrganizationHamas in Syria
Known forLeading Hamas' Syrian offshoot
Defending Yarmouk Camp against Islamic State militants
OpponentIslamic State

Sheikh Abu Salah Taha (Arabic: الشيخ ابو صلاح طه) was the former leader of Hamas' Syrian affiliate, known as Hamas in Syria.[1] The group is chiefly based in the Yarmouk Camp, a camp designated for Palestinian refugees in south-western Syria, near Damascus.

Sheikh Abu Salah Taha was killed by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on April 4, 2015, during the Battle of Yarmouk Camp, along with other senior Palestinian figures in the area.[2] A video released by ISIL emerged a couple of hours after the event, in which Sheikh was beheaded, and his head spiked on a wooden pole.[3]

  1. ^ E.Buxbaum, Robert (May 7, 2015). "Hamas head deposed, no peace in the middle east". REBResearch: Just about one month ago, the head of the head of Hamas in Syria was removed from his position atop Sheikh Abu Salah Taha’s shoulders. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  2. ^ "ISIS Beheading Palestinians in Damascus". ArutzSheva7: Islamic State has seized nearly all of the Yarmouk district and is reportedly carrying out atrocities. April 4, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Soffer, Ari (April 5, 2015). "Report: ISIS Beheads Senior Hamas Operative in Syria". ArutzSheva7: Sheikh Abu Salah Taha believed to be among scores of Palestinians executed in Yarmouk; image of severed head posted online. Retrieved June 11, 2015.