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Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of Hamas's political bureau and a founding commander of its military wing, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut on 2 January 2024, according to Hamas and Lebanese media reports. He was 57.
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| Al-Arouri |
Al-Arouri was one of the most senior and influential leaders of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip and has been engaged in a war with Israel since October 2023. He was also considered the mastermind behind many attacks against Israel, including the October 7 massacre that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in Israeli territory.
Israel had accused al-Arouri of being "Iran's man inside Hamas" and had put a $5 million bounty on his head. He was also designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2015. Israel had previously demolished his home in the West Bank village of Arura in October 2023, as part of its campaign to destroy Hamas's political and military infrastructure.
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| Al-Arouri's mother |
Al-Arouri was born in Ramallah in 1966 and studied Sharia law at Hebron University, where he became involved in Hamas's student wing. He rose through the ranks of Hamas and became the founding commander of its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in 1993. He was arrested several times by Israel and spent a total of 15 years in prison. He was released in 2010 and went into exile in Turkey, Qatar, and Lebanon, where he continued to oversee Hamas's activities in the West Bank and abroad.
Hamas confirmed al-Arouri's death in a statement and vowed to avenge him. "The martyrdom of our leader Saleh al-Arouri is a great loss for our people and our movement, but it will not break our will and determination to continue our struggle and resistance against the occupation," the statement said. "The blood of our martyrs will not be wasted and the enemy will pay a heavy price for its crimes."
The Israeli military did not comment on the airstrike, but Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a televised speech that Israel would not stop targeting Hamas leaders until they stop their attacks on Israel. "We have made it clear that anyone who tries to harm us will face the full force of our power.
