Former Hamas deputy PM shot in Nablus, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas orders probe

Palestinian former Education Minister Nasser Al-Shaer was shot by unidentified assailants in Nablus, occupied West Bank on Friday evening, according to local media reports.

Al-Shaer, who also served as deputy Hamas prime minister for a year and a half after the group won the last Palestinian elections in 2006, was subsequently admitted to Rafidia Surgical Hospital where he was treated for wounds sustained in his legs.

عائلة الدكتور الشاعر: "ما جرى مع الدكتور ناصر الدين محاولة اغتيال واضحة". pic.twitter.com/wPv3Rnq9Wx

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) July 22, 2022

A spokesperson close to Al-Shaer confirmed that are five to six bullets in his body, while the Palestinian Wafa Agency reported his condition as stable.

He was reportedly targeted by gunfire as he was leaving an engagement party in the village of Kafr Qallil, located on the outskirts of Nablus.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting, and the assailants are yet to be identified.

جامعة النجاح الوطنية: "ندين اطلاق النار الذي استهدف الدكتور ناصر الدين الشاعر، ونطالب الأجهزة الأمنية بالإسراع بالوقوف أمام مسؤولياتها واتخاذ المقتضى القانوني بحق الفاعلين بالسرعة القصوى". pic.twitter.com/M4dEhqOcd0

— فلسطين الآن (@paltimes2015) July 22, 2022

A spokesperson close to the victim confirmed to Arabi21 that number of gunmen intercepted Al-Shaer's car as he was returning on the way to east Jerusalem road, and at least 20 bullets were fired at him.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack and has issued orders to relevant security officials to open an immediate investigation into the incident, according to Wafa.

Abbas also made a phone call to Al-Shaer, wishing him a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, Hamas also denounced the attack, labelling it 'an assassination attempt'.

Al-Shaer, who also works as an academic and is a published author, described the shooting is "a harmful attack on national unity," according to his spokesperson.

Muhannad Karajah, the director for Lawyers for Justice, a NGO focusing on legal activities in Palestine, told Arabi21: "We warned earlier, against giving the green light to civilians who harass activists and human rights defenders, during peaceful sit-ins or shooting at their homes, without accountability or oversight".

"This is what happened with the activist Nizar Banat a month before his assassination, when he and his family were shot while they were in their home. At that time, he was warned with that he would be assassinated, and a month later he was actually [killed]. This is what happened with Dr. Al-Shaer," he added.

This isn’t the first time that the former deputy prime minister was targeted. Al-Shaer was reportedly attacked in June by security forces working at An-Najah University, after he tried to prevent security from suppressing a student protest rally inside the university campus, according to Arabi21.