Hamas loses 5 senior commanders.

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

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

Besides Al-Ghandour, among the four leaders killed was Ayman Siyyam, whom Israeli media reported was the head of Hamas's missile units.

Last week, a senior Israeli military official said the country's army had killed "more than 50" Hamas commanders, inflicting "significant" damage to the capabilities of the armed forces, which are estimated to number around 24,000 fighters.

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

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

During the 2014 war, the Israeli military allegedly destroyed Ghandour's home because they believed he played a role in firing missiles at Israel.

Ghandour was also placed on the US economic sanctions list in 2017 for being considered 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 agency.

A senior Israeli military official said the Israeli army had inflicted significant damage on Hamas's fighting forces – comprising 24 battalions, each with 1,000 fighters – particularly in the north.

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

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

Hamas issued the announcement on November 26, the third day of a four-day ceasefire.

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