Israel kills one of Hamas’ last senior leaders during airstrike in Gaza: Izz al-Din Kassab becomes latest top figure in terror group to be wiped out by IDF
Israel has killed one of the last senior Hamas leaders remaining in the Gaza Strip, an official announced Friday evening.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that Izz al-Din Kassab, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, had been “eliminated” in an airstrike in Khan Younis.
According to the IDF, Kassab was responsible for national relations within the organization and oversaw the “coordination and liaison between Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza.”
He was also responsible for Hamas’ strategic and military relations with other factions in Gaza.
The IDF said Kassab “had the authority to direct the execution of terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.”
Izz al-Din Kassab, a member of Hamas’s political bureau and one of the organization’s last remaining senior leaders, is ‘eliminated’ in an airstrike in Khan Younis
The IDF announced Kassab’s murder on Friday evening
The IDF has released dramatic footage of the moment a truck carrying Kassab and Ayesh was struck with precision as it traveled along a dirt road in the city of Gaza.
The car carrying Kassab, who was responsible for national relations within Hamas, explodes in flames
According to the IDF, Kassab had ‘the authority to direct the execution of terrorist attacks against the State of Israel’
Acrid smoke filled the air in the aftermath of Friday’s strike in Khan Younis
According to Reuters, Hamas mourned the death of the senior leader in a statement, adding that he was killed along with his aide, Ayman Ayesh, during the strike.
On Friday evening, the IDF released dramatic footage of the moment a truck carrying Kassab and Ayesh was hit with precision as it drove along a dirt road in the town of Khan Younis, now largely in ruins after more than a year of military operations. .
Kassab’s death comes just weeks after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, widely considered the main architect of the October 7 attacks in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage by terrorists.
After confirming his death, the IDF released Sinwar’s last moments alive, as filmed by a drone that entered the shelled building where he was hiding.
Sitting on a fabric-laden chair, his head covered with a scarf to conceal his identity, Sinwar can be seen peeking through the small hole in the packaging that envelops his face to look directly at the drone, while his right hand is injured by bullets.
His last act was to throw a stick at the device just seconds before he was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
In September, Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive attack on the terrorist group in Lebanon.
A slew of other Iranian-backed militant commanders have also been killed in recent months.
Assassinated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was widely considered the main architect of the October 7 attacks on Israel
Israel said earlier this year that it had killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in an attack, although the Palestinian group has not confirmed this.
Deif was accused of working with Sinwar in planning the October 7 attack.
Today’s assassination of Kassab comes in the wake of a vow Israel madeo eliminate Hamas’s entire senior leadership.