Colonel Nissim al-Kilzani: Two Decades Between Combating Drugs and Protecting Society

A journalistic profile traces the career of Colonel Nissim al-Kilzani, director of the Crossings and Ports Authority in Gaza, who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in May 2026. His aide Mahmoud Hassan recounts two decades of work in drug enforcement, managing smuggling cases, and caring for the families of martyrs, before his death in an airstrike in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

A journalistic profile from the newspaper "Palestine" paints a picture of Colonel Nissim al-Kilzani, director of the Crossings and Ports Authority in Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last May in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. His aide Mahmoud Hassan, who accompanied him for four years, recounts al-Kilzani's career spanning about two decades, beginning with the establishment of the anti-narcotics agency in the tenth Palestinian government under Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Al-Kilzani rose through security positions, including heading the Central Investigations unit and serving as deputy director of the Khan Younis branch, before becoming director of anti-narcotics in Khan Younis in 2018, then moving to the Crossings and Ports Authority in 2022. He oversaw complex smuggling cases involving drones and led a major seizure operation two months before his death that resulted in the confiscation of 220 hashish mats, 1,500 SIM cards, and 220 cartons of tobacco. His aide describes him as dedicated to the families of martyrs, especially those of the Interior Ministry, and he would follow up on salary delays and aid. He had lost his son Majdi about a year and a month before his own death, while confronting a group attempting to storm Nasser Hospital. Hassan describes his passing as the loss of an irreplaceable leader.