Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri had long expected the Israeli drone strike that security sources said killed him in Beirut on Tuesday, three months after his group’s surprise cross-border assault that triggered a devastating war in Gaza. “I am waiting for martyrdom and think that I lived too long,” he said in August, as he urged Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to take up arms amid a surge of violence. His killing comes at a defining moment for the organization, as Israel attempts to eradicate it in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas terrorists rampaged across the border, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages. Israel has long accused him of lethal attacks on its citizens, but a Hamas official said he was also “at the heart of negotiations” over the outcome of the Gaza war and the release of hostages conducted by Qatar and Egypt. “Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” said Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israel’s prime minister. Israel does not typically confirm or deny responsibility for such attacks. Read more at https://nypost.com/2024/01/03/news/hamas-arouri-was-a-key-player-until-death-in-sudden-beirut-strike/ #hamas #salehalarouri #israel The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: https://www.youtube.com/c/nypostsports Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/ Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/nypost Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NYPost