Hamas’ military wing says 4 of its leaders killed during Israeli war on Gaza since Oct. 7

By Yakoota Al Ahmad and Mohamed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, said on Sunday that four of its leaders had been killed since Oct 7, including Ahmed Al-Ghandour, a member of the Military Council and commander of the Northern Brigade.

“The Al-Qassam Brigades is mourning a group of its heroic leaders, namely Commander Ahmed Al-Ghandour, known as Abu Anas, a member of the Military Council, the commander of the Northern Brigade, and the leaders: Wael Rajab, Raafat Salman, and Ayman Siam,” the group said in a statement.

The Al-Qassam Brigades did not provide any information about the dates of their deaths.

The brigades also declared their "commitment to the freedom path."

The Israeli army had previously announced in separate statements that it had killed Hamas leaders in airstrikes on Gaza. However, most Israeli strikes have resulted in heavy civilian casualties as well as massive infrastructure destruction.

A four-day humanitarian pause, mediated by Qatar, went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

In the first two days of the humanitarian pause, Israel and Hamas exchanged 41 Israelis and foreigners for 78 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi