The Qawasameh tribe is associated with the terrorist group Hamas and was the main supplier of militants to the Hebron cells of Hamas. The Hamas in Hebron was lead by a family from the Qawasameh tribe. Two of its prominent leaders, Abbedalla Qawasameh and Bassal Qawasameh were taken out by IDF raids in June and September 2003.
Abbedalla Qawasameh was taken out in June 2003 by the YAMAM elite CT unit after resisting an arrest. He opened fire on the YAMAM officers who replied fire and killed him. His replacer, Ahmed Bader was taken out in the September 9. Ahmed Bader was replaced by Abbedalla's relative - Bassal Qawasameh. They both were involved in Jerusalem's bus bombings. Bassal survived less than a month. On September 22 he was traced by IDF forces near Dura. He barricaded himself in a house but the Palestinian women who owned the house notified the IDF forces. After Bassal refused to surrender and opeed fire on the soldiers, an armoured Caterpillar D9 bulldozer was brought and razed the house over Bassal. Qawasameh's corpse was found with a machinegun under the debris.
