The Israeli military said Thursday that three senior Hamas leaders were killed in an attack three months ago in Gaza, where the army has been fighting Palestinian operatives for nearly a year.
The military said the strike killed Rawahi Mushtaha, head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Sameh al-Siraj, who heads the security department for Hamas’s political bureau, and Sami Oudeh, a commander.
About 3 months ago, the following militants were killed in a joint strike by the IDF and ISA in Gaza:
Rawi Mushtaha, head of the Hamas government in Gaza
Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio in Hamas’ political bureau and Hamas’ labor committee
?Sami… pic.twitter.com/6xpH6tOOot
– Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) 3 October 2024
“Mushtaha was one of Hamas’ most senior operatives and had direct influence on decisions related to Hamas’ troop deployment,” the army said in a statement.
The military described Mushtaha as the “right-hand man” of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
In 2015, the US State Department designated Mushtaha as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”.
The Council of European Foreign Relations described Mushtaha as a member of Hamas’s Gaza Politburo, which also oversaw its financial affairs.
The ECFR said Siraj was a member of the Politburo, while Oudeh was described as the leader of the group’s internal security agency.
Israel’s military campaign to eliminate Hamas is believed to have seriously weakened the group, killing many of its leaders and thousands of fighters, while reducing much of the territory under its control to rubble.
The Gaza war was triggered by an October 7 attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, which also includes hostages killed in captivity.
Israeli retaliatory military strikes have killed at least 41,788 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.
“Mushtaha was one of Hamas’ most senior operatives and had direct influence on decisions related to Hamas’ troop deployment,” the army said in a statement.
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