Al-Arouri was born on 19 August 1966 in Ramallah in the West Bank. In 1985, he enrolled at Hebron
University to study Sharia law. He was elected head of the Islamic faction at the university, where he
established ties to Kutla Islamiya (Islamic Blocs), and Hamas’ youth wing on campus. 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.
In November 1990, al-Arouri was arrested by Israeli authorities. He spent six months in prison. He was
arrested again shortly after. Initially held on administrative detention, 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. Al-
Arouri was later expelled from Gaza as his presence was reputed to pose a threat to Israel. 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 deported by Israel shortly after his
release from prison and moved to Damascus, Syria, where he joined Hamas’ political bureau headed
by Khaled Meshaal. When Khaled Meshal left Damascus at the inception of the Syrian Civil War, Al-
Arouri relocated to Istanbul, 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 based in Israel 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, and Hamas’
political leader Khaled Meshal.
On 2 January 2024, Al-Arouri was assassinated in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut through a precision
airstrike conducted by the Israeli military. The assassination, which also killed five other individuals,
occurred one day before Hezbollah commemorated the anniversary of the assassination of senior
Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.At the time of his death, he was 57.
At the time of his death in 2024, al-Arouri was living in Lebanon. His home in ‘Arura in the West Bank
was destroyed by Israeli forces during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war in October 2023.
Senior Hamas political official, Ismail Haniyeh called the killing a “craven assassination”, a “brutal
aggression” and a “blatant crime that demonstrates, once again, the brutality that is carried out by the
occupation against our people”. “It is also a violation of Lebanese sovereignty – one that represents an
expansion of the scope of the Israeli aggression againsst our people and our nation,” he said. “The
occupation is responsible for any repercussions.”
The strike on Hamas leader in Lebanon sends tension spiking across the Middle East and the western
powers as the houthi rebels continue to block the Red Sea package.
