Tunisia court issues life sentences over killing of Hamas military figure Mohamed Zouari

A Tunisian court on Tuesday issued landmark rulings in the case of the assassination of Mohamed Zouari, a senior figure in Hamas’s armed wing, sentencing the accused to life imprisonment.

The court also handed down prison sentences of more than 100 years for each of the 11 defendants, including Tunisians and foreign nationals, for other terrorism-related charges

Mohamed Zouari, a Tunisian engineer and a prominent leader in Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was shot dead outside his home in the southern city of Sfax on 15 December 2016. The killing was widely attributed at the time to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Zouari was born in Tunisia in 1967 and studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Sfax, where he earned a master’s degree. He later joined the Palestinian resistance after the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000. He became a key engineering figure and played a major role in establishing the drone unit within the Qassam Brigades. He was also involved in developing drones such as “Ababil 1”, which were used during Israel’s war on Gaza in 2014.

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According to Hamas statements issued after his death, Zouari’s importance went beyond technical skills, as he was able to turn engineering knowledge into an effective military tool. The Qassam Brigades publicly revealed his role for the first time after his assassination, describing him as the “martyr of the drone” and saying his killing was a “major loss” to Hamas’s military wing.

Although all the defendants remain at large, the ruling is seen as one of the most important judicial developments in the case. 

The assassination sparked wide debate in Tunisia and across the Arab world, particularly amid strong indications of foreign intelligence involvement, especially Israel’s Mossad.

In Palestine, Zouari is now regarded as a symbol of technological resistance. The Qassam Brigades have named a suicide drone and an unmanned submarine after him in his honour.

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