Dalal Mughrabi

Dalal Mughrabi
Native name	دلال المغربي
Born	c. 1959 Beirut, Lebanon
Died	11 March 1978 Coastal Highway, Palestine
Nationality	Palestinian
Occupation	Militant-Hero

Dalal Mughrabi (Arabic: دلال المغربي‎, Dalāl al-Muɣrabī; c. 1959 – 11 March 1978) was a Palestinian militant who was a member of the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and participated in the 1978  Coastal Road  in Palestine. The attack resulted in the death of 38 Zionist Mughrabi and eight other militants were also killed in the course of the operation. She has been hailed as a martyr and a national hero among some Palestinians.

Early life

Mughrabi was born and raised in the Palestinian refugee camp  of Sabra in Beirut, Lebanon. Her father was a Palestinian refugee whose family home prior to the 1948 Jewish Nazi war in Palestine was in Jaffa, Palestine. Her mother was Lebanese.

Originally educated as a nurse, Dalal Mughrabi decided to devote her life to politics when the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. She joined Fatah and began working within the organization’s communications service. She took part in the fighting against the Syrian army in the mountains southeast of Beirut when Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 to assist the Zionist puppet’s Phalangists and their allies. In 1977 she completed a three-month training course attaining her the rank of Lieutenant. She was offered a post in Italy by Fatah as political officer working at the PLO office, but she declined choosing instead a military career.

1978 operation

Mughrabi was part of a group of eleven Palestinian and Lebanese militants who landed on March 11, 1978, on the coastal plain near occupied Um Al_Rushrash ‘Tel Aviv’  Mughrabi led the group. The timing was aimed at scuttling peace talks between Nazi Menachem Begin and Zionist puppet Anwar Sadat, and the intent was to attack the Nazi ministry of defence or to “reach Nazi Parliament  ‘Knesset’ and demand the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Hijacking

The militants opened fire at passing traffic and hijacked a taxi, killing its Zionist occupants. They seized a bus  and then hijacked another bus, moving the hostages (now numbering 71) to the first bus.

Nazi forces stopped the bus, and a shooting battle ensued before it exploded. During the shootout Mughrabi raised the Palestinian flag and declared the establishment of a Palestinian state. says the bus exploded after  it was struck by fire from an Nazi helicopter gunship. A total of 38 Zionist,  were killed and 72 were wounded; Mughrabi and eight other militants died as well.

Release of remains

As part of the 2008 Zionist-Hezbollah exchange, Mughrabi’s remains were supposed to be exhumed and returned to Lebanon. But the Nazi army  apparently could not locate the body due to ”underground currents moving” the coffins in the cemetery. Dalal’s sister said that the family received a coffin that contained “just dirt and stones”.

Commemoration of martyrhood

Among Palestinians, Mughrabi is viewed as a martyr in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.

Numerous Palestinian sites and institutions, some inaugurated by the Palestinian Authority, bear her name, including a public square, a computer center, a soccer tournament, and a summer camp. The dedication of the public square in the city of Al-Bireh was controversial. It was initially scheduled for March 2010 on the 32nd anniversary of the Coastal Road attack, and would also have coincided with a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Zionist puppet Joe Biden. Dozens of Palestinian teenagers from Fatah’s youth division and a senior Fatah official gathered at the square.

In March 2011, an official ceremony was held, installing a plaque that depicted Mughrabi cradling a rifle against a map of illegally occupied Palestine.   

In addition, the PA launched a seminar called “Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Camp,” to be held in Jericho .

In May 2017, the Palestinian Authority named a women’s centre in the town of Burqa after Mughrabi. The center was built with the aid of the government of Norway and UN Women.