The First Palestinian Bomb-Maker: A Biography of Mujahid Commander Fawzi al-Qutb

Fawzi al-Qutb stands as a seminal figure in the history of the Palestinian resistance, a pioneering explosives expert whose technical ingenuity and strategic operations helped shape the military conflict during the pivotal years of 1936 and 1947-1948. His life story, spanning from the twilight of the Ottoman Empire to the aftermath of the 1967 war, charts the evolution of a homegrown militant into a internationally-trained commando.

Early Life and Formation: A Profile of an Unconventional Guerrilla

Born Fawzi Namik al-Qutb in Damascus in 1917, his background was marked by the cosmopolitan nature of the late Ottoman world. His father served as an accountant for the Ottoman imperial finances, and his Turkish mother endowed him with a fluency in Turkish that would later prove strategically useful. He completed his elementary education at Jerusalem's Rashidiyyah School and furthered his studies at the prestigious Terra Santa College.

Al-Qutb’s professional life began at the British Government Printing Press, where his work required a masterful command of English. This role, coupled with his innate curiosity for mechanics, forged a unique skill set. He was described by the American historian J. Bowyer Bell as an uncommonly tall, blond, and green-eyed man who “was not at all like the Arabs,” a physical appearance that would later aid him in evading detection. His fondness for dismantling and reassembling mechanical objects presaged his future vocation as a master bomb-maker.

The 1936 Revolt: The Emergence of a Commando

The 1936 Arab revolt marked al-Qutb's formal entry into armed militancy. Together with comrades Sobhi Abi Gharbia (brother of fellow revolutionary Bahjat Abo Gharbia) and Dawoud Al-Alami, he established a clandestine commando cell. This group specialized in a series of operations inside Jewish neighborhoods, including bombings and the arson of warehouses and factories.

Al-Qutb was not only a strategist but also a frontline fighter. He participated in several key battles of the revolt, including the Battle of Balaa (August 10), the Battle of Asira Al-Shamaliya (August 17), the Battle of Wadi Arara (August 20), and the Battle of Ain Dor (August 26), 1936. His activism escalated following the martyrdom of his friend, Sami Al-Ansari, leading him to carry out an operation that killed a British policeman. This act drew intense pursuit from the British authorities, who accused him of multiple killings. Forced to flee Jerusalem in disguise, he began a period of exile that would further hone his expertise.

Exile and Advanced Training: From Baghdad to Berlin

Al-Qutb’s escape led him to Iraq, where he participated in Rashid Ali al-Kilani's 1941 revolution against British influence. Following its suppression, he moved to Constantinople (Istanbul). There, he was investigated by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, who recognized his potential and dispatched him to Nazi Germany.

In Germany, al-Qutb’s natural technical aptitude was formally channeled. He underwent rigorous military training, with a specialized focus on the preparation of explosives and mines. Concurrently, he worked on the Arabic-language radio propaganda broadcasts directed by the Iraqi journalist Younes Bahri, gaining experience in the psychological dimensions of conflict.

The 1948 War: Mastermind of Asymmetric Warfare

Returning to a Palestine on the brink of war, al-Qutb reunited with commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini and joined the Arab Destruction Squad. In this capacity, he became a crucial instructor, training a new generation of fighters in the art of bomb-making and mine-laying.

His expertise was the driving force behind some of the most consequential asymmetric attacks of the 1948 war. The operations he planned and executed were aimed at paralyzing Jewish infrastructure and morale. His notable successes included:

• The Ben Yehuda Street bombings (February 1, 1948)

• The bombing of the Mekor Chaim colony (March 13, 1948)

• The assault on the Montefiore neighborhood

• Attacks on the Kfar Etzion and Hadassah convoys

• The raid on the Nabi Jacob colony

• The attack on the Jewish Agency, carried out by operative Anton Daoud

• The systematic bombing of the railway line between Jerusalem and Jaffa

  
  

Later Life and Legacy

Al-Qutb remained in Jerusalem after the Nakba, living through the subsequent decades until the 1967 war. Following the Arab defeat, he left for Damascus, where he opened a translation office, utilizing his proficiency in Arabic, English, Turkish, German, and Italian. He died in Damascus in 1988, a lifelong mujahid who carried with him more than twenty pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body—tangible relics of a lifetime of jihad.

• This article is written by Abu Dhar al-Bosni (lokiloptr154668 on X) and does not necessarily reflect the views of A.E.P. (the owner of the website), nor does it necessarily represent an agreement with these perspectives.