Israel names 5 top Hamas commanders eliminated since October 7 assault

Israel names 5 top Hamas commanders eliminated since October 7 assault

Israel says it has killed five commanders of a key Hamas military group in the 17 days since the war broke out in the region.

The IDF says each of the commanders was a member of the Hamas Aerial Array, which operates a variety of weapons against the State of Israel and played a significant role in the October 7 massacre.

Israel identified the commanders as Murad Abu Murad, Commander of the Hamas Aerial Array in Gaza City; Moed' Abdel Rahman, Head of Hamas Training Portfolio in Gaza City; Othman Hamdan, Aerial Defense Officer of Hamas’ Zabra Tel Elhua Battalion; Machud El Rifi, Hamas Weapons Supply Manager in Gaza City, and Essan Shalouf, Head of Training for the Hamas Aerial Defense Array in northern Gaza.

Israel has so far restricted itself to launching airstrikes against Hamas installations in Gaza, but the military appears poised for a ground assault as well. Military experts say such an operation is the only way to ensure the destruction of Hamas, which is Israel's stated goal.