“Whoever did this carried out a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” said Mark Regev, the senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who by using the word anyone deliberately reiterated that Israel, as usual, does not confirm and does not he denies it. Although less influential than Gaza’s leaders, Arouri was however a key player in the terrorist groupin fact he directed Hamas operations in the West Bank where he was the supreme commander, a job he carried out with impunity from the various places of exile where he had stayed: Syria, Turkey, Qatar and finally Lebanon.
In 2015, the US Treasury Department designated Arouri a global terrorist and offered a $5 million reward for information. Despite the bounty hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles, Arouri was at home with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, and a close friend of several Iranian officials in Lebanon. Hamas sources in the country of cedars have in fact confirmed that he was working with allies in order to coordinate positions regarding the conflict in Gaza.
Hamas confirmed his death, but did not comment, on the contrary the Islamic Jihad, an allied terrorist group, in a statement vowed revenge for his killing and said that Arouri’s death “would not go unpunished”. Although Hamas carried out the coup d’état in 2007 that ousted President Abu Mazen’s PA from Gaza, Arouri enjoyed good relations with Fatah, the president’s party, and has always worked for reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions.
He helped found the terrorist group’s military wingthe Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and Israel accused him of having orchestrated many deadly attacks over the years and Israeli intelligence has always believed that Arouri was the planner of the kidnapping and murders, an attack that dates back to 2004 , by three Israeli teenagers: Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel.
With Yahya Sinwar, Muhammed Deif and Marwan Issa hiding in the Gaza tunnels, Arouri was closely involved in the war negotiations and it was he who decided to suspend hostage exchanges against terrorists until there was a complete ceasefire. As a member of the Hamas politburo and with the authorization of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the terrorist group who is safe in Qatar, Arouri was accustomed to talking, through mediators, with Israel’s enemies.
Arouri spent three years in Syria before moving to TürkiyeThen, under Israeli pressure, Ankara let him go in 2015, when the two countries briefly mended ties after years of acrimony. Since then he has resided first in Qatar and then in Lebanon where he worked in the Hamas offices in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, until the sudden surgical bombing.
As already mentioned the US Treasury Department has put a $5 million reward for information on himIsrael, on the other hand, if there is confirmation sooner or later, has put together the complete package. Even if it involves giving up $5 million plus expenses, the Mossad will never admit to being behind the scenes of this targeted elimination. Also because there is no more explicit confirmation than total silence.