Saleh al-Arouri is a prominent leader of Hamas and founding commander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military.
Al-Arouri founded the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.[1] The government of the United States accuses Arouri of having been, "a high-ranking Hamas military leader dating back to his role as a Hamas student cell leader at Hebron University in the early 1990s."[1]
When he was released from prison in Israel in 2007, he told interviewers that he abjured terrorist attacks, asserting that Hamas is “harmed if we target civilians.”[2][1] He was deported by Israel shortly after his release form prison, and now lived in Turkey.[1]
According to Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank, Arouri, "has been a key figure behind Hamas’ efforts to rejuvenate the group’s terrorist networks in the West Bank.”[1] Levitt asserts that he has dispatched, "dozens of operatives" to Israel with funds to carry out the terror kidnapping of Israelis with the goal of obtaining kidnap-pees to exchange for Palestinian security prisoners.[1]
Al-Arouri was responsible for the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Al-Arouri is regarded as the author of a recent series of incidents of terrorism in Israel, including the 2015 Shuvat Rachel shooting and the Shooting of Danny Gonen.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f McCoy, Terrance (10 July 2014). "The enigmatic Hamas leader allegedly behind the Israeli kidnappings that ignited war". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Mitnick, Joshua (18 March 2007). "Freed Hamas leader shuns terror tactics". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ "In first, Hamas official takes credit for kidnap and murder of Israeli teens". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ Kais, Roi. "Hamas admits to kidnapping three Israeli teens". YNET. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Hamas claims responsibility for three Israeli teens' kidnapping and murder". Haaretz.com. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Hamas official: we were behind the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers The Guardian Retrieved 21 August 2014
- ^ Hamas kidnapped three teenagers, leading figure says The Telegraph Retrieved 22nd August 2014
- ^ "Hamas official admits group abducted, killed Israeli teens". Fox News. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Limor, YoavLimor (20 July 2015). "Hamas cell arrested over deadly Shvut Rachel terrorist attack". Israel HaYom. Retrieved 23 July 2015.