Hamas loses 5 senior commanders

Senior Hamas commander Ahmed Ghandour (left) with Gaza Strip leader Yahya Sinwar in this undated photo (Photo: Times of Israel).

In a statement, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas' military wing - said Mr Ghandour was the commander of the northern Gaza brigade and a member of the military council.

In addition to Al-Ghandour, among the four killed leaders was Ayman Siyyam, who Israeli media said was the head of Hamas' rocket units.

Last week, a senior Israeli military official said the country's military had killed "more than 50" Hamas commanders, causing "significant" damage to the capabilities of an armed force estimated to have about 24,000 fighters.

The Israeli military said Mr Ghandour headed one of Hamas' five regional brigades in the Gaza Strip, was in charge of directing all Hamas operations in northern Gaza and had initiated "shootings, bombings and rocket attacks" as well as attacks in the West Bank.

According to AFP , Mr. Ghandour has been imprisoned twice in Israel and is said to have lost two sons in recent Israeli airstrikes.

During the 2014 war, the Israeli military reportedly demolished Ghandour's home, alleging his role in firing rockets into Israel.

Ghandour was also placed on the US economic sanctions list in 2017 for being designated a "global terrorist".

Israel responded with a massive military campaign that killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authority.

Senior Israeli military officials said the army had inflicted significant damage on Hamas' fighting force - 24 battalions of 1,000 fighters each - especially in the north.

"In some (battalions), we killed hundreds of Hamas terrorists and most of the battalion commanders," he said.

He did not specify the number of Hamas gunmen killed but estimated the number to be several thousand: "Not 10,000, not 1,000, somewhere in between."

Hamas made the announcement on November 26, the third day of a four-day pause in fighting.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/hamas-mat-5-chi-huy-cap-cao-20231126214635007.htm