Gaza (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had killed a local Hamas commander in Gaza, as both Israel and the Palestinian militant group continue to trade accusations of ceasefire violation.
Alaa Al-Hadidi, the head of supply at Hamas’s production headquarters, has been identified as the commander, according to Reuters. He was reportedly killed in one of Saturday’s attacks across the strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli military’s airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday were a reaction to Hamas sending a fighter into Israeli-controlled territory. He said on Saturday that five senior Hamas members had been killed. According to Gaza’s health authorities, the Israeli strikes killed at least twenty Palestinians.
How did Israel justify targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon?
In addition, the Israeli army declared on Saturday that it had killed a Hezbollah member in an attack on southern Lebanon the previous day. Despite an ongoing ceasefire with the group, Israel has repeatedly attacked the region.
According to Lebanon’s official news agency, NNA, an Israeli drone twice attacked a vehicle on the Zawtar El Charqiyeh road in the Ain Al-Samahiya neighbourhood of the Nabatieh district. The attack took place the day after another person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Froun neighbourhood in the Bint Jbeil district.
On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that it had killed a Hezbollah member during that attack. According to a statement from the military,
“in a targeted strike the (Israeli army) eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist in the Froun area in southern Lebanon”
on Friday, as reported by AFP.
The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel has had profound effects on the Middle East region in multiple dimensions.
What is the historical significance of the Hamas commanders killed previously?
Similarly, on July 13, 2024, an Israeli airstrike in the Khan Yunis region of southern Gaza is said to have killed Mohammed Deif, another significant Hamas commander and the leader of Hamas’s military wing.
Deif, who was regarded as a crucial player in organising Hamas’s activities, including the October 7, 2023, attacks, was confirmed dead by the Israeli military. Rafa’a Salama, another Hamas commander, was also killed in the attack.
