Tel Aviv , Oct 31 ( IANS): The Israel Defense Forces (IDF ) demolished the home of senior Hamas leader Salem al Arouri in Arura town near Ramallah in West Bank.

However, Al Arouri had escaped from the place, the IDF said in a statement on Tuesday.

Al Arouri is based out of Lebanon and is the deputy political head of the group and is considered the leader of the military unit of Hamas in West Bank.

The IDF has displayed a banner hung on the rubble of the building which states, Hamas =IS in Arabic along with flags of Hamas and IS.

Al-Arouri , according to IDF has been highly vocal since the war started and has been giving interviews that Hamas has not killed civilians even though there is enough proof on the brutality carried out by the organisation on October 7, targeting among others old people, children and women who were unarmed.

Israel intelligence believes that Al-Arouri was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Gil Aad Shar ,Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel - all in their teens.

The IDF said that he is the most connected leaders of Hamas with the Iranian leadership and with Hezbollah in Lebanon.