The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, has confirmed the killing of its leader, Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri, popularly known as Abu Muhammad, in an overnight attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut by the Israel Defense Force.
In a confirmatory statement issued on Wednesday by the Islamist group that has been at war with Israel since its October 7 attack, where it killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians and held more than 200 hostages, it was claimed that the attack not only claimed the life of its leader but also the lives of other key members.
Abu Muhammad was the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas and also the leader of the movement in the occupied West Bank.
The others who were killed in the attack are Samir Qadi, alias Abu Amer, and Azzam Al-Aqrab, alias Abu Abdullah. Both were leaders. Both were leaders in the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed resistance wing.
Other Hamas members killed in this cowardly aggression were Mahmoud Zaki Shaheen, Muhammad Bishashe, Muhammad Al-Rees, and Ahmed Hamoud.
The statement read, “The Zionist enemy yesterday murdered Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri (Abu Muhammad), Deputy Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the leader of the movement in the occupied West Bank, in the Lebanese capital Beirut, in a cowardly assassination.
“Along with Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri, the Israeli occupation government also killed Samir Qadi (Abu Amer) and Azzam Al-Aqrab (Abu Abdullah). Both were leaders in the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed resistance wing.
“Other Hamas members killed in this cowardly aggression were Mahmoud Zaki Shaheen, Muhammad Bishashe, Muhammad Al-Rees, and Ahmed Hamoud.
“This barbaric aggression and vile crime mirror Israel’s bloodthirstiness against our people in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and throughout the world.
“The assassination by the occupying forces of the movement’s leaders and cadres on Lebanese territory is an act of terrorism and a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. This act has expanded the aggression against the Palestinian people.
“While we mourn with Palestinians in all parts of the homeland and abroad, and with all freedom-loving people of the world, the assassination of these noble warriors serves to affirm our faith and determination to continue on the path of liberation.
“These martyrs have now joined tens of thousands of our people’s martyrs in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and abroad, as well as with the blood of the martyrs of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle for Palestine.
“All are martyrs who paid the ultimate price in the struggle for the freedom of the Palestinian people, our homeland, Jerusalem, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. They have left behind steadfast men and women who carry the flag after them, continuing the journey and defending our people, our land, and our holy sites until liberation and return.
“The Zionist Nazi occupation must bear responsibility for the repercussions of its actions. It will not succeed in breaking the will of the Palestinian people to endure and valiantly resist military occupation, apartheid, and colonialism.
“Hamas’s founders and leaders have become martyrs for the dignity of our Palestinian people. The targeting and killing of our leadership and cadres will never weaken or defeat us. As the history of Palestinian resistance and of Hamas has repeatedly shown, it will only increase our strength, firmness, and unwavering determination to achieve liberation.”
