Senior Hamas leader threatens regional war against Israel over targeted killings

Hamas regional leader Saleh al-Arouri, who oversees the terror group's operations in Judea and Samaria, recently warned Israel that the targeted assassination of Hamas leaders could lead to a regional war.

In an interview with al-Aqsa Voice, al-Arouri said increased aggression from "the occupation government to our people and to the region as a whole will cause a full-scale war in the region.”

During the interview, al-Arouri also accused the Israeli government of planning to demolish the al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent claim by the Hamas terror organization.

Hamas often presents itself as the true defender of the al-Aqsa Mosque and regularly accuses Israel of planning to take over the mosque or destroy it.

“The leaders of the occupation government, with their extremist policies, will cause an all-out war in the region,” he said. “Some in the cabinet are considering actions such as taking control of al-Aqsa Mosque and dividing it, along with assassinations, knowing that this would lead to a regional war.”

During the interview, al-Arouri also claimed that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who he called “an extremist," is advancing a plan to expel all Palestinians to Jordan, and mistakenly accused Smotrich of planning “to transfer 1 million settlers to the West Bank.”

Last Wednesday, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan submitted a plan to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase the number of settlers in Samaria from 500,000 to one million by 2050.

The senior Hamas official referred to alleged plans to resume targeted killings of Hamas leadership, saying, “The occupation's threats to eliminate us do not frighten us. We are not afraid of their threats and are ready for martyrdom, just like the rest of our people. We will not stop the resistance.”

He specifically called for an increase of young Palestinians to join the fight and escalate the acts of terrorism in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank

“The occupation and this government leave us no choice, we must fight, everyone must have a role everywhere, especially in the West Bank, and I am talking about the West Bank because it is the heart of the campaign now. The number of young people in the West Bank who confront the occupation is limited, instead of a thousand young people participating in the resistance, there should be a hundred thousand.”

According to al-Arouri, Hamas is “preparing for an all-out war, and we are closely discussing the prospects of this war with all relevant parties.”

He threatened that, in the event of war, the cooperation between Hamas and its allies would lead to the closure of Israel’s air and sea ports, as well as attacks on utilities such as water and electricity.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to al-Arouri's threats at his weekly cabinet meeting.

"I also heard the verbiage by the senior Hamas official Arouri, from his hiding place in Lebanon. He knows very well why he and his colleagues are in hiding," Netanyahu said.

"Hamas, and the other Iranian proxies, understand very well that we will fight with all means against their attempts to use terrorism against us – in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and everywhere else. Whoever tries to hurt us, whoever finances and organizes, whoever dispatches terrorists against Israel – will pay the full price."