Zaher Jabarin

Zaher Jabarin (born 1966) is a Palestinian militant and senior leader of the militant group Hamas. Commonly referred to as the CEO of Hamas, Jabarin has led the Hamas Financial Bureau since the mid-2010s, managing the group's investment portfolio estimated at over $500 million. The financial network Jabarin oversees raises, invests, and launders money destined for Hamas militant activities in the West Bank and Gaza via networks in Turkey, Lebanon, and the Arabian Gulf.

With Saleh al-Arouri, Jabarin was one of the co-founders of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank in the late 1980s. In 1993, Jabarin was arrested and an Israeli court sentenced him to life imprisonment plus 35 years for killing Israelis during the First Intifada. Jabarin was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011, after which he assumed leadership of the Hamas Financial Bureau from his base in Istanbul, Turkey.

After Al-Arouri's death in January 2024 during the Israel-Hamas war, Jabarin succeeded him a Hamas' leader in the West Bank. According to analytics and journalists, Jabarin was behind the resurgence of Hamas' use of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, including the Lehi Street bombing, in late August 2024 as the group's capabilities in Gaza diminished

Early life

Born in Salfit in the West Bank in 1968, Jabarin studied Islamic law at Al-Najah University in Nablus.

Hamas activities

Jabarin joined Hamas in 1987 and helped to found the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, leading its expansion into the northern West Bank. During the First Intifada, Jabarin led a youth brigade called "The Firing Squad" (also called "The Shooting Squads." He was credited for recruiting into Hamas Yahya Ayyash, an expert in IEDs and one of the planners of the abduction and killing of Nissim Toledano.

For his role, alleged by Israel, in attacks including the kidnapping and murder of Israelis, Jabarin was arrested by the Shin Bet in 1993. In prison, Jabarin learned Hebrew, earned a degree, and started to write a book, with the introduction written by Saleh al-Arouri. Despite a court sentencing him to life imprisonment and 35 years, he was released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011. After his release, Jabarin was exiled to Damascus, Syria, like many other Hamas officials released as part of the deal. Jabarin subsequently spent years living between Qatar and Turkey, ultimately settling in Istanbul, where he assumed leadership of the Hamas Financial Bureau. In Istanbul, Jabarin was a deputy to Saleh al-Arouri, who lived in Turkey until 2016.

In 2021, Jabarin was elected as the deputy to Saleh al-Arouri as leader of Hamas in the West Bank. He was considered al-Arouri's right-hand man to Saleh al-Arouri and referred to as the "West Bank's Mohammed Deif". As of early 2024, Jabarin also managed Hamas's prisoner portfolio and was involved in indirect negotiations over the Israel-Hamas war hostage crisis.

Financial activities

Described as Hamas's CEO, Jabarin is the long-time head of Hamas's Financial Bureau, managing the group's investment portfolio estimated at over $500 million, including in Turkish real estate and stock markets, and overseeing revenue streams including private donations that exceed tens of millions of dollars per year. The financial network Jabarin oversees raises, invests, and launders money destined for Hamas militant activities in the West Bank and Gaza via networks in Turkey, Lebanon, and the Arabian Gulf.

From his office in Istanbul, Jabarin also oversees Hamas's financial relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force, as the relationship between the Qods Force and Hamas focused on increasing funding from Iran. According to analysts, Jabarin's financial network operated with the tacit approval of Turkish President Recep Erdogan, and Jabarin himself has holdings in Turkish companies.

For these activities, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Jabarin a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019, prohibiting all dealings with U.S. persons or within the United States.

Leadership

After the death of Saleh al-Arouri in early January 2024 during the Israel-Hamas war, Jabarin succeeded him as Hamas's commander in the West Bank. Jabarin was considered a potential successor to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after Haniyeh's assassination in July due to his role in managing the group's finances and his relationship with Iran, Hamas's chief patron. Compared to more prominent Hamas leaders like Yahya Sinwar and al-Arouri, Jabarin is much less-known publicly, due to his location in Istanbul, Turkey, and the view within Hamas that he is not particularly sophisticated or charismatic, according to analysts and academics.

According to analysts, Jabarin was behind the resurgence of Hamas' use of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians in late August as the group's capabilities in Gaza diminished. After a speech on 29 August by former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal declaring the group's intention to revive the use of suicide bombings, Hamas conducted four bombings against Israeli civilians. Israeli officials believe that Jabrin was responsible for dispatching the perpetrator of the Lehi Street bombing from Nablus to Tel Aviv. Hamas' return to bombings came amid perceptions within the militant group that Palestinians in the West Bank had not joined the fight against Israel.