(Image source from: REUTERS)
The Israeli military announced Thursday that three Hamas leaders were killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip three months ago. The army has been fighting with Palestinian agents in the Gaza Strip for almost a year. According to the army, the attack killed the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Ravi Mushtaha, Sameh al-Shirazi, the head of Hamas' political office, and its commander Sami Oudeh. The army said in a statement: "Mr. Mosheteh was one of Hamas' most senior officials and had a direct influence on Hamas's decisions regarding troop deployment." The army called Mashteha the "right-hand man" of Hamas leader Yahya Sanwar. In 2015, the US State Department designated Mushtaha a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” The European Council on Foreign Relations described Mosheteh as a member of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, where he was also in charge of financial matters.
Approximately 3 months ago, in a joint IDF and ISA strike in Gaza, the following terrorists were eliminated:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 3, 2024
Rawhi Mushtaha, the Head of the Hamas government in Gaza
Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio on Hamas' political bureau and Hamas' Labor Committee
Sami… pic.twitter.com/6xpH6tOOot
The ECFR said Mr Siraj was a member of the Politburo and Mr Oudeh was the head of the group's internal security agency. The Israeli military operation to destroy Hamas is believed to have killed several leaders and thousands of fighters, significantly weakening the group and leaving many areas it controlled in ruins. According to official Israeli figures, including hostages killed in captivity, the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on October 7 that killed 1,205 people, mostly civilians, in Israel, according to AFP. At least 41,788 people, most of them civilians, were killed in retaliatory strikes by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-controlled region. The United Nations considers this figure to be reliable. The army said in a statement: "Mr. Mushtaha was one of Hamas' most senior officials and had direct influence on Hamas's decisions regarding troop deployment."
