Salah al-Arouri, considered the mastermind of Hamas terrorist operations in Judea and Samaria, including the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014, is in Gaza for high-level discussions.
By: World Israel News Staff
Three senior Hamas leaders, including Salah al-Arouri, are slated to arrive in Gaza from Egypt Thursday for what has been termed “a major decision-making meeting.”
Al-Arouri is considered the mastermind of Hamas’s terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria and an important point-man with Iran. The other two Hamas terrorists are Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior member of Hamas’s politburo, and Hassan Badran, a Hamas spokesman.
The three men are part of a larger contingent already in Gaza that is expected to discuss a potential ceasefire with Israel and a reconciliation agreement with Fatah. They have already held discussions with Egyptian intelligence officers and representatives of Fatah in Cairo.
The arrival of Al-Arouri, deputy to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, is considered rare. Al-Arouri is said to be the mastermind of a number of Hamas-planned terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, including the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers — Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel — in June 2014.
Al-Arouri plays a central role in relations between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and has even spent the past few months in Beirut.
Here is a video of him extolling the importance of Iran’s support for Hamas:
According to reports, the delegation is expected to meet with Hamas political bureau chief Haniyeh and the organization’s leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, to discuss the proposals presented by the Egyptians.
Palestinian sources said Wednesday that they are not optimistic about the chances of reconciliation to succeed.