Hamas arrests Gaza man for tearing down poster of slain Iranian commander

Hamas came under criticism from many Palestinians and Arabs for putting up the poster of Soleimani, who is held responsible for the death of many Palestinians during the civil war in Syria.

DECEMBER 31, 2020 17:03

WOMEN HOLD pictures of Iranian Maj.-Gen. Qasem Soleimani during a funeral procession and burial at his hometown in Kerman (photo credit: MEHDI BOLOURIAN/FARS NEWS AGENCY/WANA (WEST ASIA N) — WOMEN HOLD pictures of Iranian Maj.-Gen. Qasem Soleimani during a funeral procession and burial at his hometown in Kerman

(photo credit: MEHDI BOLOURIAN/FARS NEWS AGENCY/WANA (WEST ASIA N)

Hamas’s Internal Security Force on Thursday arrested Sheikh Majdi al-Mughrabi, an extremist Muslim Salafi jihadist, on suspicion he tore down a poster of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020.

الاسم: مجدي المغربيالمكان : غزةالحالة : معتقلالتهمة: تمزيق صورة المجرم قاسم سليمانيجهة الاعتقال: الأمن الداخلي في حكومة حماس#الافراج_عن_مجدي_المغربي pic.twitter.com/t5TtohjcGz
— احمد ابو فرحة (@ahmadfarha44) December 31, 2020

The arrest of Mughrabi, a resident of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, came hours after Palestinians posted on social media platforms a video and photos of a man tearing down the poster of Soleimani.

اعتقلت سلطة غزة، الخميس الشيخ مجدي المغربي الذي مزق صورة الإرهابي المجرم "قاسم سليماني" الشيخ مجدي المغربي، وهو من سكان رفح، اعتقل بعد يوم من ظهوره في فيديو وهو يزيل صورة كبيرة لقاتل الأطفال والنساء السنة في العراق وسوريا واليمن، رفعت على لوحة بغزة.#أطلقوا_سراح_مجدي_المغربي pic.twitter.com/myRcO9RHCI
— أخبار العالم الإسلامي (@muslim2day) December 31, 2020

Mughrabi is one of the leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired Palestinian Salafi group in the Gaza Strip.

His brother, Musa al-Mughrabi, confirmed the arrest in a post on Facebook. “My brother, Sheikh Majdi al-Mughrabi, has been arrested by the Internal Security Force,” the brother wrote. “He was arrested for tearing down the picture of a murderer. Why?”

A large poster of the slain Iranian commander appeared in the Gaza Strip earlier this week as Hamas and several Palestinian armed groups carried out a joint military drill in preparation for a possible confrontation with Israel.

Hamas, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, came under criticism from many Palestinians and Arabs for putting up the poster of Soleimani, who is held responsible for the death of many Palestinians during the civil war in Syria.

Soleimani’s poster carried a quote from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reading: “The commander Qassem Soleimani, who spent his life supporting the [Palestinian] resistance. He is the martyr of Jerusalem.”

Haniyeh, who attended the funeral of Soleimani in Iran, said that “these assassinations only serve to further strengthen our resolve to liberate Jerusalem, with Soleimani being Jerusalem’s own martyr.” Leaders of the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad also attended the funeral.