Mossad director David Barnea strongly hinted at Israeli involvement in the killing of Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri on Wednesday, saying that “every Arab mother should know that if her son was involved, directly or indirectly, in the massacre of October 7, it is targeted,” the Jerusalem Post reports. The Israeli publication notes that this statement is surprising given that Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the killing of Saleh al-Aruri.

The head of the Mossad – Israel’s foreign intelligence service – said on Wednesday that his department will “settle accounts” with all those involved in the bloody attack committed by Hamas on October 7 in communities in the south of Israel, writes AFP, citing Agerpres.

“Mossad seeks to settle scores with the killers who crossed the edge of the Gaza Strip on October 7”

• “Today we have a full-scale war. And the Mossad today, as it did 50 years ago, seeks to settle accounts with the killers who crossed the edge of the Gaza Strip on October 7, with their planners and sponsors,” David Barney said at the funeral of former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir, who died on Tuesday.
• “It will take some time, just like after the Munich massacre, but we will get them wherever they are.
• Every Arab mother should know that if her son participated – directly or indirectly – in the massacre of October 7, his blood will fall on his head,” Barnea added, quoting a biblical verse.

“Clear proof” of Israel’s involvement in the murder of Saleh al-Aruri

During his tenure as head of the Mossad, Zvi Zamir oversaw Operation Wrath of God, which aimed to take down those responsible for the Palestinian group Black September, whose militants killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, quoted by DPA, considers the Mossad chief’s statement a hint of Israel’s involvement in the killing of Saleh al-Aruri on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The Jerusalem Post sees David Barney’s claims as “clear proof” of Israel’s involvement in the targeted assassination in Beirut of Saleh al-Aruri, deputy head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, although Barnea did not mention him.

In addition, Jerusalem Post journalists consider this statement by the head of the Mossad to be strange, considering that Israel has not publicly accepted responsibility for the killing of Saleh al-Aruri.

The cited publication also commented that since there was still no response from the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Israeli officials could feel safer.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it killed Saleh al-Aruri in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday. But army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were on high alert and ready for any scenario.

The first high-ranking Hamas political leader killed since the start of the war

The killing was a fresh sign that the nearly three-month-old war between Israel and Hamas is spreading across the region, involving the occupied West Bank, Hezbollah forces on the Lebanese-Israeli border and even the Red Sea sea lanes.

Aruri, 57, who lived in Beirut, was the first senior Hamas political leader to be killed since Israel launched an offensive against the militants in response to their deadly raid on Israeli cities on October 7.

Hossam Badran, a member of the Hamas political movement, said in a eulogy for Aruri: “We say to the criminal occupier (Israel) that the battle between us is open.”

Israel has long accused him of organizing attacks on its citizens.

But a Hamas official said it was also “in the middle of talks” between Qatar and Egypt on the outcome of the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“You are in a dangerous war zone”

The Israeli military (IDF) said in its daily report that “intense fighting” with Hamas militants continued in Gaza on Wednesday in the southern city of Khan Younis. The IDF had earlier announced that it was trying to remove Hamas leaders from the area.

Palestinian residents and media reported that Israeli forces bombed the al-Nusseirat refugee camp in the northern part of the Hamas-run enclave overnight and on Wednesday, destroying several high-rise buildings.

Israeli planes also dropped leaflets over Al-Nuseirat, ordering people to leave the seven districts.

“You are in a dangerous war zone. The Israel Defense Forces is active in the area where you live. “For your safety, the IDF urges you to leave this area immediately and go to recognized shelters in Deir al-Balah (in the west),” the leaflets said.

According to the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza, the total number of reported Palestinian deaths reached 22,313 by Wednesday, including 128 in the past 24 hours.