Back صالح العاروري Arabic صالح العارورى ARZ Saleh əl-Aruri Azerbaijani সালেহ আল-আরোরি Bengali/Bangla Saleh al-Arouri Catalan ساڵح عارووری CKB Sálih Arúrí Czech Saleh al-Arouri German Saleh al-Arouri Spanish Saleh al-Arouri Basque

Saleh al-Arouri

Saleh al-Arouri
صالح العاروري
Al-Arouri in 2022
Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau
In office
9 October 2017 – 2 January 2024
ChairmanIsmail Haniyeh
Preceded byIsmail Haniyeh
Succeeded byKhalil al-Hayya
Personal details
Born(1966-08-19)19 August 1966
'Arura, Jordanian West Bank
Died2 January 2024(2024-01-02) (aged 57)
Dahieh, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon
Manner of deathAssassination
CitizenshipJordan (until 1988)
Lebanon (since 1988)
NationalityPalestinian
Political partyHamas
Children2
EducationHebron University (BA)
ProfessionMilitary commander
Known forDeputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau and founding commander of Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades

Saleh Muhammad Sulayman al-Arouri (Arabic: صالح محمد سليمان العاروري; 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 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,[1][2] although he lived in Lebanon at the time of his assassination.[3][4]

Al-Arouri was born in 'Arura near Ramallah in the West Bank in 1966. He enrolled at Hebron University to study Islamic Sharia in 1985, during which he was elected head of the Islamic faction at the university, and was recruited to Hamas during the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation in 1987.[5] Starting in 1990, he was imprisoned 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.[6] He was then exiled by Israel from the Palestinian territories to Syria, later moving to Turkey and finally settling in Lebanon in 2015.[7][8]

He was described as "a capable, charismatic, suspicious, and shrewd operator, with excellent connections".[1][6] He also served as a recruiter, and was actively involved in raising and transferring funds on behalf of Hamas.[7] Al-Arouri was considered one of the architects of the 7 October attack on Israel,[9] and was also known for his role in expanding Hamas' activities in the West Bank.[10][11][12]

The U.S., which designated him as a terrorist in 2015,[13] had also put a $5 million bounty on his head.[14] He was assassinated in 2024 during the Israel–Hamas war by an Israeli strike.[15] Al-Arouri was succeeded by Zaher Jabarin as Hamas's leader in the West Bank.

  1. ^ a b Avi Issacharoff, Avi (12 August 2015). "Israel foiled 17 suicide attacks so far this year, Shin Bet says". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Saleh al-Arouri". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Israeli forces kill senior Islamic Jihad commander in Jenin; arrest 36 suspects". I24news. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  4. ^ "IDF issues demolition order for house owned by Hamas leader al-Arouri". The Jerusalem Post. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sn1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b McCoy, Terrance (10 July 2014). "The enigmatic Hamas leader allegedly behind the Israeli kidnappings that ignited war". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b Levitt, Matthew (9 July 2014). "Hamas' Not-So-Secret Weapon". Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Nissenbaum, Dion; Adam Chamseddine; Benoit Faucon; Summer Said (2 January 2024). "Top Hamas Leader Killed in Suspected Israeli Strike in Beirut". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  10. ^ "How Israel's assassination of Arouri ends an era for Hamas". The Jerusalem Post. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  11. ^ Kampeas, Ron (2 January 2024). "Top Hamas official assassinated in Beirut, reportedly by Israel". The Forward. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  12. ^ Ravid, Barak (2 January 2024). "Israeli drone strike kills senior Hamas official in Beirut, sources say". Axios.
  13. ^ "Most wanted: The Hamas leaders on Israel's radar". France 24. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Wanted: Information that brings to justice... Salih al-Aruri". Rewards for Justice Program. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Israeli strike in Lebanon kills senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri -security sources". Reuters. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

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