On 14 January 2004, Reem Saleh Al-Riyashi, 22 years old, became the first female martyr of the Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades.
Reem grew up in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, one of ten children, six boys and four girls, the eighth in the family. She excelled in her studies, achieving 96% in high school, and chose to study engineering, though she postponed her academic projects to get married and raise her children.
Her path to the resistance began in high school, influenced by resistant thought. She made her intention for martyrdom known to leaders, including the martyred Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who advised her to focus on raising the next generation of youth to love the cause and embrace sacrifice.
When men’s movements were heavily restricted during the Second Intifada, Reem was called upon to act.
The Operation
At 9:37 a.m., 14 January 2004, Reem carried out her martyrdom operation at Beit Hanoun crossing “Erez”. She had inspected the site days earlier, studying the mechanisms carefully to know how to move through it.
Reem detonated the explosive belt, killing four zionist soldiers and injuring ten, four critically. Zionist forces quickly surrounded the area. Reports confirmed indescribable damage. A zionist commander stated:
The perpetrator of the “Erez” operation deceived the soldiers during the security checks. She exploited their preoccupation and suddenly advanced toward them before detonating herself.
A Historic First
Reem was the seventh Palestinian female resistance martyr, the first within Al-Qassam Brigades, and the first from Gaza. She was 22 years old, a mother of two.
This operation carried deep messages: the first female martyrdom mission prepared by Al-Qassam Brigades after previously rejecting the option. It demonstrated the determination of Palestinian women to rise for the cause, even as mothers and students.
From Reem’s Will
“I turn to you without men, because I no longer see men among us, only remnants of them in Palestine and Iraq. You are the remaining hope for this Ummah after it has been emptied of men. You are responsible for leading this nation toward victory, dignity, and honor after men resembling men dragged it into humiliation and disgrace that spread from its east to its west.”
Reem Saleh Al-Riyashi – daughter, mother, student, hero, martyr.