Born in Al-Quds, the young Omar Al-Qasim left Palestine for Lebanon at a young age to train in military camps. He chose to return in 1968, leading an armed group to carry out an operation after crossing the Jordan River. Fighting until the last bullet, he and others were abducted by zionist forces. In 1988, he became the first prisoner to spend 20 years in zionist jails. Zionists tried to get him to agree to a deal: his freedom as long as he stops resistance activities. He refused.
In prison, he established the foundations for the modern prisoner movement. From there, he carried out a number of hunger strikes. His status in the zionist prisons led others to give him the nickname “Mandela of Palestine.”
On May 15th 1974, DFLP members disguised in IOF uniforms carried out the “Maalot” operation, in which 115 zionists were taken hostage. The fighters demanded the release of 26 prisoners. Zionist forces took Omar out of prison so that he could ask his comrades to release the hostages in exchange for a reduction in his sentence. Omar emerged, grabbed the microphone, and told his comrades to carry out the instructions of their leadership, completing what they came to do. The three fighters—Mohammed Dardour, Ali Al-Atmah, and Ziyad Ka’ik—were martyred; 31 zionists were killed.
Omar went back to prison, and upon reaching 20 years inside, he said:”I have spent more than twenty years in detention, and I do not care about my personal fate. What matters to me is the cause of my people, and as long as the nightmare of occupation remains on the chest of my people, I will continue to fight you.”
On this day in 1989, he ascended to martyrdom in Bir Al-Sabi’ prison due to zionist medical neglect. Thousands attended his funeral in Al-Quds, where clashes broke out, prompting newspapers to write “Al-Quds is liberated in Al-Qasim’s funeral.”
Today, the armed wing of the DFLP is named after the martyred leader, the righteous son of Palestine and one of its most steadfast fighters.
Glory to the martyrs.
source: RNN