A Gazan man who publicly boasted of armed attacks against Israel and prayed for the death of Jews has been released from prison in the United Kingdom after entering the country illegally earlier this year.

The man, known online as Abu Wadei and identified as Mosab Abdulkarim al-Gassas, was freed despite a digital trail that includes footage of him brandishing assault rifles, praising Hamas-linked violence, and calling for divine punishment of Jews.

Abu Wadei was arrested in March after being intercepted by British authorities while crossing the English Channel in a migrant dinghy. He was charged with immigration offenses and sentenced to nine months in prison. However, he was briefly released in June under a government early-release scheme aimed at easing severe prison overcrowding, before being rearrested for breaching release conditions. He has now been freed again and is reportedly living at a bail hostel, wearing an electronic tag and barred from working or studying.

According to British media reports, Abu Wadei left Gaza before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel. But his past activities in the Strip paint a far darker picture. The Daily Mail and The Times of London reported that he took part in Hamas-backed border riots, spoke at rallies between 2017 and 2019, and described himself as a member of the so-called “tire-burning unit” — groups that set fires and clashed with Israeli troops along the Gaza border.

Photographs obtained by The Times show Abu Wadei posing with Kalashnikov rifles in front of propaganda for the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and standing alongside masked gunmen. In a 2018 interview with the Hamas-affiliated outlet Felesteen, he openly boasted of launching incendiary kites into Israel.

“It only costs us three shekels,” he said at the time, “but it costs the occupation more because of the fires it causes.”

As recently as September 2024, Abu Wadei posted a video on Facebook praying for Allah to deal with “the Jews and those loyal to them.”

Despite this record, Abu Wadei cannot currently be returned to detention because he has applied for asylum. Citing unnamed Home Office sources, the Mail reported that authorities say he cannot be held again unless there is a “realistic prospect” of deportation. In a formal statement, the Home Office insisted that “all foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.”

Jewish organizations warned that the decision to release him poses serious risks.

“His release is likely to raise understandable concerns among the public, given the nature of his alleged support for a terrorist organization and his antisemitic views,” said the Community Security Trust, which provides security for Britain’s Jewish community. “There is a clear responsibility for the relevant authorities to ensure that this individual does not pose a threat to public safety.”

Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, demanded immediate answers. “The Home Office owes the public answers, and given the potential threat, we need them now,” he said.

“British Jews can see that from Manchester to Sydney, the intifada has been well and truly globalized,” Falter added. “The authorities need to get a grip — we are out of time.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)