Hamas confirms death of four leading fighters
Israel has declared the destruction of Hamas in Gaza as a war objective. Several heads of the terrorist group have apparently already been killed in Israeli attacks, as the group itself has now announced. These include a commander who, according to the USA, was involved in "numerous terrorist activities".
The armed wing of the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas has confirmed the deaths of four of its leading representatives during the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Essedin al-Qassam Brigades reported the death of the commander responsible for the north of the Gaza Strip, Ahmed Al-Gandur, as well as three other high-ranking fighters. However, the Islamists did not provide any information about the time of their deaths. According to Israeli media, Ayman Sijjam, head of the brigades' rocket unit, was among those killed.
Al-Gandur, whose fighting name was Abu Anas, had been on a US terror list since 2017 and was subject to economic sanctions. According to the State Department in Washington, he was involved in "numerous terrorist activities".
These included an attack on an Israeli military position at the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip in 2006, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and four others injured. Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was released in 2011 in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners, was also kidnapped in the course of the attack.
26 hostages already free
The Essedin al-Qassam Brigades reported the killing of the four high-ranking fighters on the third day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which has so far been limited to four days. So far, 26 hostages kidnapped by Hamas have been released in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for around seven weeks. On October 7, hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization, invaded Israel and committed atrocities, mainly against civilians, including many women and children. According to the Israeli government, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel began to massively attack targets in the Gaza Strip from the air and on the ground. According to Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, more than 14,800 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since then.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has seen the Israeli military targeting key figures within Hamas, with reports indicating the death of four high-ranking members in the Gaza Strip, including Ayman Sijjam, leader of the Essedin al-Qassam Brigades' rocket unit. Israel, in its war against Hamas, has declared the destruction of the terrorist organization in Gaza as a primary objective.
Source: www.ntv.de
