Kamal Naji

Kamal Naji
Born	1951 Jabalia Camp
Died	23 March 2009 Mieh Mieh camp
Nationality	Palestinian

Kamal Naji (Arabic: كمال ناجي‎‎) also known as Kamal Medhat (Arabic: كمال مدحت‎‎, 1951 – 23 March 2009) was the deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon and a former Fatah intelligence chief in the country. He was killed by a roadside bomb while visiting a refugee camp to calm recent violence.

Born in the Jabalia Camp in the Gaza Strip in 1951, Naji relocated to Lebanon when he joined Fatah at age 16. Naji was a confidant of Yasser Arafat and Khalil al-Wazir. He rose within the PLO's ranks and earned a PhD in International relations and military science in the Soviet Union. While the PLO was based in Lebanon in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Naji served as a close aide to Arafat.

Recently, Naji played a key role in calming violence and tension among various Palestinian groups in Ain al-Hilweh and in fostering dialogue between Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian community. In reference to the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, he stated "If Yasser Arafat was alive he would have started a third and managed to make the Muqata'ah the headquarters of the resistance and all kinds of envoys would be knocking on his door looking for a solution to end the fighting in Gaza." He served as deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Lebanon.

On 23 March 2009, Naji and three others were killed when a roadside bomb exploded as his convoy was passing the at the Kifah el Musallah security check point to Mieh Mieh camp near Sidon. There had been a family feud the previous day, in which two Fatah members were killed, and Naji was visiting to send his condolences and attempt to calm the situation. The bomb was apparently hidden in a little shed on the side of the road and was detonated when Naji's convoy passed by. His car was thrown down a hill and reduced to a charred wreck, according to reporters at the scene of the explosion. The Palestinian factions of Lebanon's 12 refugee camps met in Ain al-Hilweh to discuss the incident and aim to uncover the perpetrators of the attack. The size of the bomb was estimated at 25 kg.

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