Hamas claims to have arrested suspect in assassination of Hamas commander
Amid a rigorous investigation being conducted by Hamas to uncover the alleged assassins of a senior commander outside his home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas is claiming to have arrested a suspect involved in the assassination.
Details of the suspect's identity have not yet been released by Hamas.
Additionally, Hamas has announced that the investigation into the assassination has concluded and conclusions have been passed on to the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.
The investigation had been at the top of the organization's agenda and security forces worked around the clock to locate the perpetrator(s). In the weeks since the assassination, Hamas has largely concentrated on intimidating those collaborating with Israel.
Throughout the entirety of the investigation, Hamas has maintained that Israel is responsible for the assassination—a claim which Israeli officials have denied.
In an interview with Ynet's sister publication, Yedioth Ahronoth, Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman responded to the claims, saying, "With my understanding of the system there and the man leading it, this looks like an internal affair. It is characteristic of terrorist organizations.
"I'm sure you remember the February 2016 assassination of Muhammad Ashtawi, who was a Hamas battalion commander killed by Yahya Sinwar. He did it himself. Khaled Mashal was really angry at him. Sinwar did it without Hamas leadership knowing and he didn't ask anybody. He (Sinwar) is the new leader now and he wants to establish himself and show that he's the boss and he doesn't need to ask anybody anything."
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
