The armed wing of Hamas on Thursday published a book written by one of its commanders who was responsible for a series of suicide bombing attacks against Israel.
The book, The Buses are Burning, was written by Hassan Salameh, who is serving 46 consecutive life sentences and another 30 years in Israeli prison for directing three mass-casualty attacks in Israel.
Salameh, who was born in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, was arrested by Israeli security forces in 1996 in Hebron.
The title of the book refers to the buses that were targeted by suicide bombers.
In the book, Salameh relates how he and his friends planned and carried out several terror attacks.
Why was the book launched now?
The book launch was held in Khan Yunis to mark the 27th anniversary of the assassination of Hamas arch terrorist and chief bomb maker Yahya Ayyash, who was killed in a mobile phone explosion in the Gaza Strip in 1996.
After the assassination, Hamas entrusted Salameh with the task of carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel to avenge the killing of Ayyash, nicknamed “The Engineer” because of his expertise in manufacturing bombs.
Thursday’s event, organized by Izaddin al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, was attended by hundreds of Palestinians, including senior officials of the Gaza-based terror group and former security prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
In a message on the occasion of the book launch, Salameh said the attacks he was responsible for “will remain immortal in history and tell Palestinian generations the story of a will that transcended the impossible, performed miracles and exposed the Zionist entity’s fragility to the whole world.”
Salameh said he operated on orders from Mohammed Def, the overall commander of Izaddin al-Qassam, who is wanted by Israel for his role in numerous terror attacks. “We set out on a path fraught with dangers,” Salameh added. “We only had a few explosives and a few thousand dollars.”
Saleh Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau who is currently based in Lebanon, also addressed the event. “This book has great symbolism,” he said. “We are going through a phase in which the acts of resistance are escalating. We are headed toward another round of resistance and conflict with the occupier; we are headed toward a new victory.”
Arouri said his group will continue its attempts to secure the release of all the Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.