Two Palestinian Authority Police Officers, Trained At Qatar Police Academy, Perpetrated A Stabbing And Shooting Attack In Which An Israeli Was Murdered

Memri

5 days ago

On July 10, 2025, two Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers who had been trained at the Qatar Police College carried out a combined shooting and stabbing attack at Gush Etzion junction, killing Israeli security guard Shalev Zvuluny. The two, Mahmoud Abed and Malik Salem, were also members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militia, which is affiliated with the Fatah movement, headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Abed and Salem join a series of PA security forces members who were also members of Palestinian terror organizations and perpetrated attacks against Israelis (See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1760 - The Involvement Of Palestinian Authority Security Forces In Terror Attacks Against Israel – April 18, 2024)
The official PA media, as is its custom, did not acknowledge the officers' involvement in terrorist activity. The PA news agency WAFA reported that two "young men" were "martyred" after being shot by the IDF, and that the "occupation army" claimed they had carried out an attack.[1] The incident was presented in this manner even though the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades issued an announcement claiming responsibility for the attack. The announcement identified the two terrorists as members of the Brigades, and stated that they had carried out the attack as part of "the Al-Aqsa Flood," i.e., the campaign launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.[2] Moreover, Fatah posted death notices for the two terrorists, which praised them and featured photos of them wearing PA police uniforms.[3]
It should be noted that the two officers were trained at the Qatar Police College. Qatar – which encourages terror against Israel and worldwide – routinely provides training to Palestinian security personnel, not only from the PA but also from the Hamas terror organization. Many officers of Hamas' police force in Gaza were likewise trained at this college (See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11111 - Officers Of Hamas Security Apparatuses Trained In Qatar – February 1, 2024).[4]
Death notices issued by Fatah for the two terrorists: The movement ushers them to their "nuptials" (with the 72 virgins of Paradise)[5]
The following are some of the details that were posted about the two terrorists on social media but were not reported by the PA.
The PA Presents The Two Terrorists As Innocent Young Men, While Fatah Describes Them As Self-Sacrificing Heroes Who Carried Out "An Operation Against the Zionist Enemy Forces"
As stated, the PA news agency did not report the attack perpetrated by Mahmoud Abed and Malik Salem as a fact, but claimed that "two young men had been martyred after being shot by the Israeli army" and that, according to the "occupation army," the two had carried out a shooting. The report was accompanied by photos of Abed and Malik in civilian clothing, to obfuscate their identity as members of the PA security forces.[6]
The WAFA report shows the two in civilian clothing
However, the Fatah movement, which is the PA's ruling party, posted death notices that described the two as "martyred heroes" who had "ascended to heaven."[7] The message that accompanied these notices on Fatah's official X account said: "The Fatah movement welcomes the fida'i [i.e., self-sacrifice] operation [carried out] in the northern Hebron [governorate], and stresses that the settler hordes will witness the might of our fighters in the West Bank when they [encounter] death, shootings and gunpowder. [It also stresses] that the flame of the fida'iyoun [self-sacrificing fighters] of the Al-Aqsa [Martyrs] Brigades will not be extinguished as long as the occupier remains on our land and persists in aggression against our people."[8]
The announcement on Fatah's X account
Other posts on Fatah's X account also praised the two terrorists. For example, one stated that "glory bends its knee to you," and another called Mahmoud Abed a "martyred hero."
The posts on Fatah's X account: on the left – "The martyred hero Muhammad Abed, who carried out the self-sacrifice operation today near Bethlehem"; on the right – "Glory bends its knee to you"
An announcement issued by the Fatah-associated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades[9] said: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claim responsibility for the Hebron combined [shooting and stabbing] attack, in which a Zionist security guard was killed… The fighters of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades continue their heroic operations against the Zionist enemy forces as part of the Al-Aqsa Flood war… As part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade's response to the occupation's ongoing aggression, this afternoon our fighters carried out… a heroic combined [shooting and stabbing] attack, in which they managed to seize the weapon of a security guard after they stabbed him and killed him. Then they confronted the enemy forces in the Gush Etzion settlement and shot at those present. [Their goal was] to reach heaven. The heroes who carried out this operation were the self-sacrificing hero Mahmoud Yousuf Muhammad Abed (23) [and] the self-sacrificing hero Malik Ibrahim Abd Al-Jabbar Salem (23)…"[10]
The announcement issued by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
The Terrorists Trained At The Qatar Police College
As mentioned, the two terrorists received training at the Qatar Police College, as evident from their Facebook accounts. They both listed the Qatari capital, Doha, as their place of residence. Abed also shared a photo of the college insignia, and Salem explicitly stated that he was a graduate of the college. It should be noted that this college has also trained police officers for Hamas.[11]
Facebook accounts of Mahmoud Abed (@mahmoud.abed.587606) and Malik Salem (@malk.tmym)
Photos circulated on social media show the two wearing uniforms of PA police officers.
Officer Malik Salem in uniform upon his graduation from the Qatar Police College (Facebook.com/sabastyanews, facebook.com/b7bk.bizzarya, July 10, 2025)
Officer Mahmoud Abed in uniform (Facebook.com/ahaly.hlhwl, July 10, 2025)