Tunisia: Foreign Elements Assassinate Hamas Military Commander

The Tunisian government has confirmed that "foreigners" were involved in the killing of Mohammed al-Zouari, one of the commanders of the military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in a city in southern Tunisia. According to Tunisian media, the Ministry of Interior announced in a statement on Sunday, December 18, that investigations into the factors related to Mohammed al-Zouari's murder will continue in Tunisia and other countries. Mohammed al-Zouari, a 49-year-old Palestinian born in Gaza who also held Tunisian citizenship, was killed on Thursday, December 16, in the city of Sfax. He was an aviation engineer and was pursuing a PhD in this field in Tunisia. In its statement on Sunday, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior reported the arrest of eight suspects, including one woman, and noted that one of the individuals was Moroccan and also held Belgian citizenship. Hamas attributed al-Zouari's killing to Israel, stating, "The blood of this martyr has not been shed in vain." The statement from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said on Friday, December 17, that al-Zouari had been a member of Hamas's military wing for ten years and was involved in the construction of drones for Hamas. According to Arab media reports, al-Zouari was assassinated as he was about to leave his house for "a television interview". Reports indicate that the large number of bullets fired—28 in total—suggests that a group was involved in this assassination. Majda Khaled Saleh, al-Zouari's Syrian wife, told Arab media that when she heard the sound of gunfire, she ran outside and saw Mohammed's body drenched in blood. Al-Zouari's brother also claimed in an interview with Shams Radio in Tunisia that individuals deliberately altered footage of the crime scene to "support the killers and facilitate their escape." The Israeli government and security agencies have remained silent regarding al-Zouari's assassination, although Israeli media extensively covered the assassination from Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Ze'ev Elkin, a senior Israeli government minister, stated in an interview with the Hebrew section of Israel Radio on Monday, December 29, that "one should not shed tears over the elimination of someone like al-Zouari." Israeli media, citing intelligence experts, described al-Zouari as "the commander of Hamas's air wing" and reported that he was responsible for flying the Ababil drone during the summer 2014 war between this movement and Israel. The Ababil drone is designed and produced by Iranian military industries, which Israel claims Iran has also trained Palestinians and Hezbollah to manufacture a more advanced version of. In recent years, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Palestinian organizations have attributed the killings of many of their commanders and important figures in Arab countries and Europe to the Israeli Mossad. The most controversial assassination in recent years was that of Mahmoud Abdel-Raouf al-Mabhouh, responsible for arms procurement for Hamas's military wing, who was killed in a hotel in Dubai on January 19, 2010. Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan released videos and images of a large team involved in the assassination of al-Mabhouh, attributing the assassination to Mossad agents.