Saleh Al-Arouri
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Saleh Muhammad Sulayman al-Arouri (; 19 August 1966 – 2 January 2024), also transliterated as Salah al-Arouri or Salih al-Aruri, was a Palestinian politician and senior leader of
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
who served as deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from October 2017 until his assassination in January 2024. He was a founding commander of its military wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades and also served as the Hamas's military commander of the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, although he lived in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
at the time of his assassination. Al-Arouri was born in 'Arura near
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
in the West Bank in 1966. He enrolled at Hebron University to study Islamic
Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
in 1985, during which he was elected head of the Islamic faction at the university, and was recruited to Hamas during the
First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...
against the
Israeli occupation Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian terr ...
in 1987. Starting in 1990, he was
imprisoned Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...
by Israel multiple times for his Hamas activities, starting with administrative detention, and served his longest sentence for 15 years before his release in 2007. He was then exiled by Israel from the
Palestinian territories The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine ...
to Syria, later moving to Turkey and finally settling in Lebanon in 2015. He was described as "a capable, charismatic, suspicious, and shrewd operator, with excellent connections". He also served as a recruiter, and was actively involved in raising and transferring funds on behalf of Hamas. Al-Arouri was considered one of the architects of the 7 October attack on Israel, and was also known for his role in expanding Hamas' activities in the West Bank. The U.S., which designated him as a terrorist in 2015, had also put a $5 million bounty on his head. He was assassinated in 2024 during the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
by an Israeli strike. Al-Arouri was succeeded by Zaher Jabarin as Hamas's leader in the West Bank.


Early life

Al-Arouri was born on 19 August 1966 in 'Arura, Ramallah in the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. In 1985, he enrolled at Hebron University to study Islamic
Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
. He was elected head of the Islamic faction at the university, where he established ties to Kutla Islamiya (Islamic Blocs), Hamas' youth wing on campus.


Joining Hamas

Al-Arouri had joined Hamas during the
First Intifada The First Intifada (), also known as the First Palestinian Intifada, was a sustained series of Nonviolent resistance, non-violent protests, acts of civil disobedience, Riot, riots, and Terrorism, terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians ...
against the
Israeli occupation Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prior to 1967, control of the Palestinian terr ...
in 1987. Through his connection to Kutla Islamiya, al-Arouri met Muin Shahib, a Bir University-based Hamas operative who recruited al-Arouri to the ranks of Hamas and entrusted him with funding of an infrastructure for Hamas' military apparatus in
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
."". Memo from Richard Newcomb (Director,
Office of Foreign Assets Control The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, United States Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade economic sanctions, ...
, U.S. Department of Treasury) to Dale L. Watson (Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division). 5 November 2001. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
With Zaher Jabarin, al-Arouri helped to found the
Al-Qassam Brigades Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades are ...
, Hamas's military wing, leading its expansion into the northern West Bank.


Imprisonment

After al-Arouri was briefly imprisoned by Israel, he was directed by Hamas to recruit a squad in
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
that acquired weapons in 1990, thought to have been used in the later killing of an Israeli soldier. He spent six months in
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
. He was arrested again shortly after. Initially held on
administrative detention Administrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial. A number of jurisdictions claim that it is done for security reasons. Many countries claim to use administrative detention as a means to combat terrorism ...
, he spent 15 years in prison for his leadership role in Hamas. In 2007, al-Arouri was arrested again by the Israeli authorities and released in March 2010, probably for his decisive role in the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was captured by Hamas in 2006.


Release

When he was released from prison in Israel in 2007, al-Arouri told interviewers that he abjured terrorist attacks, asserting that Hamas is "harmed if we target civilians." He was exiled by Israel shortly after his release from prison and he moved to
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, Syria, where he joined Hamas' political bureau headed by Khaled Meshaal. When Khaled Meshal left Damascus at the inception of the Syrian Civil War, Arouri relocated to
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, Turkey, where he established his own bureau. Up until 2015, al-Arouri lived in Turkey; in December 2015, it was reported that he had left Turkey for Lebanon. '' Ynet News'' reported that al-Arouri's departure was part of the reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Israel, and had been discussed during the meeting held in early December between Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...
, and Hamas' political leader Khaled Meshal.


Leadership and strategy

Al-Arouri was usually portrayed as a pragmatic leader, in contrast with Hamas leadership's hardline policy. According to Matthew Levitt of the think tank
Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), also known simply as The Washington Institute (TWI), is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...
, al-Arouri "has been a key figure behind Hamas' efforts to rejuvenate the group's terrorist networks in the West Bank." From Istanbul, al-Arouri allegedly operated independently from the rest of the organization, thereby fostering existing leadership issues in Hamas, an organization multi-headed by design. Hamas' Turkey branch is generally described to be making decisions without taking into account the movement as a whole and without involving the Hamas leadership. Udi Levy, who has worked for over 30 years with Israeli intelligence, described al-Arouri as "Iran's man inside Hamas". Some of Al Qassam Brigades' activities aimed at establishing a Hamas cell in Hebron specialized in kidnapping Israeli soldiers, which Hamas believes is one of the most effective strategies to secure the release of its affiliates. Al Qassam Brigades and the Hamas cell in Hebron are run from remote locations, and have often benefited from help coming from outside the Israeli territories. This has been evident since 2013, when
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
(IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) arrested 20 terrorists affiliated with Hamas that had been assisted by Hamas operatives abroad with "guidance and funding." Al-Arouri said in a conference in Turkey on 20 August 2014 that Hamas was responsible for the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers. However, his claim was doubted by experts. The Israeli defense establishment thinks al-Arouri was boasting and was unconnected to the kidnapping. Al-Arouri was regarded as the orchestrator of a series of incidents of
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
against Israelis in 2015, including the 2015 Shvut Rachel shooting and the shooting of Danny Gonen. His focus was on building Hamas military capacity in the West Bank, by smuggling in weapons and establishing sleeper cells. In September 2015, al-Arouri was placed on the U.S. list of terrorists. During September 2023, al-Arouri met with
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
leader
Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...
, PIJ secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah, and PFLP deputy secretary-general Jamil Mezher in Lebanon. Israeli media framed the meetings as indicative of an upcoming escalation in the Gaza Strip or West Bank. Al-Arouri had been living in Lebanon when the 2023 Israel-Hamas war broke out. In the immediate aftermath of the 7 October attack on Israel, Arouri said the attack was a retaliation against Israel for the "crimes of occupation", adding that Hamas captured enough Israeli soldiers to secure a prisoner exchange with Israel. The ''Wall Street Journal'' alleged that Arouri was behind the attack. Arouri played a key role in the negotiations that lead to the release of 105 Israel civilian hostages from Gaza in November 2023.


Financial activities

In September 2015, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned al-Arouri for being "responsible… for money transfers for Hamas." The U.S. Treasury claimed that al-Arouri directed and oversaw "the distribution of Hamas finances" and portrayed him as "a key financier and financial facilitator for Hamas military cells planning attacks and fomenting unrest." In 2011, al-Arouri facilitated fund transfers to the families of convicted terrorists and deceased Hamas officers in coordination with Saudi Arabia-based Hamas financial officer Mahir Salah. U.S. authorities also posited that in 2014, al-Arouri was leading a Hamas initiative that would have destabilized the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
and would have prepared a Hamas' takeover. Moreover, Al Arouri allegedly "financed and directed a Hamas cell in the West Bank that sought to instigate clashes between Israeli and Palestinian forces." More generally, in 2014, al-Arouri was in charge of several Hamas military cells both in the West Bank and in
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
. The U.S. Treasury claimed that by then, he had "facilitated the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hamas, including to the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, for the purchase of arms and storage facilities for weapons." Al-Arouri succeeded in establishing solid ties between the West Bank cells and Hamas's U.S.-based financiers. In this connection, terror finance expert Matthew Levitt claimed that al-Arouri "played a critical intermediary role between otherwise compartmented elements of Hamas's external leadership and on-the-ground operatives."


Diplomatic activities

Al-Arouri often travelled and attended official meetings as part of Hamas delegations. In March 2012, he met with Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
. In October 2012, he attended the visit of the
Emir of Qatar The Emir of the State of Qatar () is the monarch and head of state of the country. The emir is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and guarantor of the Constitution. The emir holds the most powerful position in the country, and has a ...
to the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
.


Personal life

During al-Arouri's 15-year imprisonment by Israel, he was engaged to a woman who waited 12 years for him, and he quickly married her after his release in 2007. He was quoted by a Hamas statement that: "Yes, my marriage to my fiancee and building a family is the most important thing now especially when my fiancee waited for me for 12 years." It was reported that he had a daughter in 2014. He also had a younger sister named Dalal, who following his death was arrested by Israeli authorities for allegedly helping to fund his terroristic activities.


Later life and assassination

At the time of his death in 2024, al-Arouri was living in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
. His home in 'Arura in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
was destroyed by Israeli forces during the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
in October 2023. On 2 January 2024, al-Arouri, 57, was assassinated in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut by an Israeli strike. The attack is suspected to be the work of Israel, Hamas' chief opponent, but the country has not officially acknowledged or denied its involvement. The assassination, which also killed six other individuals, occurred one day before Hezbollah commemorated the anniversary of the assassination of senior Iranian military commander
Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...
. After al-Arouri's death, Zaher Jabarin succeeded him as Hamas's leader in the West Bank.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arouri, Saleh 1966 births 2024 deaths People from Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate Hamas leaders Assassinated Hamas members Assassinated Palestinian politicians Assassinations in Lebanon Deaths by Israeli drone strikes Palestinian emigrants to Lebanon Palestinian expatriates in Turkey Palestinian people imprisoned by Israel Fugitives wanted by the United States Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government Targeted killing by Israel Hebron University alumni Politicians assassinated in 2024 Rewards for Justice Military personnel killed in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)