(1935-1988) Also known as Abu
Jihad. A
Palestinian political and military figure. He helped found
Fatah in 1959, set up the movement's first office in Algeria, and conducted military training for Fatah fighters. He was also a high-ranking member of the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), serving as its Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Palestinian forces. He planned multiple attacks that targeted both
Israeli soldiers and civilians. Wazir is well-known for developing underground militant cells in the
West Bank and Gaza and for organizing the PLO's defense in Jordan during
Black September and against
Israel's invasion of Beirut in the 1982 War. Wazir helped create youth committees in the West Bank and Gaza in the early 1980's, which eventually became the backbone of the
First Intifada. In 1988, Israeli agents assassinated Wazir in Tunis. See "
Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad): The 17th Palestine National Council," Journal of Palestine Studies, University of California Press, 1985. See also "
Abu Jihad Killing: Israeli censor releases commando's account," BBC, November 1, 2012.