 "(Left) Yahya Sinwar delivering a speech on the seaside of Gaza, April 30, 2022. File Photo/AP
(Right) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressing his supporters during a religious procession in Beirut's suburbs, November 14, 2013. File Photo/Reuters")
Israel has targeted and killed several leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah during over a year of conflict that started after the Palestinian militant group attacked Tel Aviv on October 7, 2023.
On Thursday, Israeli forces in Gaza killed Yahya Sinwar , a senior Hamas leader and one of the masterminds behind last year’s attack on Israel, the military said.
His death was celebrated as a settling of scores by the Israeli leaders. They presented it as a turning moment in their mission to destroy Hamas, urging the group to surrender and release nearly 100 hostages still held in Gaza.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the start of the day after Hamas.”
Here is a list of all the Hamas leaders targeted by Israel over the past year:
Yahya Sinwar
The Israeli military stated Sinwar might have been killed in an operation in the Gaza Strip that it claimed had targeted three militants. Citing Israeli officials, two Israeli broadcasters, KAN and N12 News, reported that he was dead.
However, Hamas is yet to confirm his fate.
Notably, Sinwar took over as the Hamas chief following the assassination of the group’s then-leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran in July. Sinwar was Israel’s most wanted rival and was widely believed to be running the operation from tunnels beneath Gaza.
Ismail Haniyeh
The Hamas leader since 2017, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31 during a visit to Tehran. According to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a short-range projectile killed him.
Citing unnamed sources, The New York Times reported that the explosion that killed him was a bomb that was secretly sneaked into the guesthouse where he was staying.
Israel did not claim responsibility for the incident.
Haniyeh had been residing between Turkey and Doha, Qatar’s capital. His movement outside the blockaded Gaza Strip allowed him to avoid travel restrictions, participate in ceasefire negotiations, and communicate with Hamas’ key ally, Iran.
Mohammed Deif
Deif, who served as the commander of Hamas’ military wing, was killed after fighter jets attacked the area of Khan Younis in Gaza on July 13 following an intelligence assessment, according to the Israeli military.
Notably, the elusive Deif had survived seven Israel assassination attempts. However, Hamas has not confirmed his death till date.
Deif was believed to have been another mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel.
Marwan Issa
Issa, who served as the Deputy Hamas military commander, was killed in an Israeli strike in March, according to the Israeli military. For a long time, he was at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list alongside Deif and Sinwar.
Hamas has not confirmed his death yet.
Saleh al-Arouri
Deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed during an Israeli drone strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh on January 2. Arouri was also the founder of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Let’s take a look at all the Hezbollah leaders targeted by Israel:
Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on September 27. Nasrallah’s death was a massive blow to Hezbollah since the group was reeling from an escalating campaign of Israeli strikes.
Nasrallah had led the group since 1992.
Ali Karaki
Hezbollah’s senior commander, Ali Karaki, was killed in the airstrike that also targeted and assassinated Hassan Nasrallah. The Israeli military stated that over 20 militants of different ranks were killed in the attack, which struck an underground bunker.
Hashem Safieddine
On October 8, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that Hashem Safieddine, regarded as the likely successor to Hassan Nasrallah, had probably been “eliminated.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took it a step further, announcing that Israeli airstrikes had killed two potential successors to Hezbollah’s deceased leader - referring to Safieddine and an unnamed second figure.
Hezbollah has not commented on his fate.
Nabil Kaouk
Kaouk was a top Hezbollah security official who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on September 28.
Ibrahim Qubaisi
Qubaisi was killed during an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 24. He was a commander and a top figure in Hezbollah’s rocket division.
Ibrahim Aqil
Hezbollah’s operations commander Ibrahim Aqil, a member of the group’s top military leadership, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on September 20.
Aqil had been accused by the United States of involvement in the 1983 Beirut truck bombings that targeted the American embassy, killing 63 people, and the US Marine barracks six months later, which left 241 dead.
Ahmed Wahbi
Ahmed Wahbi, a key commander overseeing Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces operations until early 2024, was also killed in the same September 20 Israeli strike that targeted multiple senior commanders in Beirut, including Ibrahim Aqil.
Fuad Shukr
On July 30, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed Hezbollah’s top commander, Fuad Shukr. A leading figure in Hezbollah’s military operations since its establishment in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Shukr was sanctioned by the US in 2015 for his role in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut.
Mohammed Nasser
Nasser was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 3. Israel claimed that he was responsible for heading a unit responsible for firing from southwestern Lebanon. Nasser, a senior Hezbollah commander, was reportedly in charge of a key section of Hezbollah’s operations along the border.
Taleb Abdallah
Senior Hezbollah field commander Taleb Abdallah was killed on June 12 in a strike claimed by Israel, which said it had hit a command centre in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanese security sources, Abdallah held the same rank as Nasser and was responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in the central region of the southern border strip.
The war
Earlier this month, Israel escalated its conflict with Hezbollah by intensifying airstrikes in Lebanon and initiating a ground offensive against the Iran-backed group after a year of cross-border firing.
US President Joe Biden said that the killing of Yahya Sinwar will open the way for “a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” Biden added that he would talk to Netanyahu about discussing “the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all.”
Netanyahu stated that Hamas members who surrendered their weapons and helped with the safe return of hostages would be allowed to leave Gaza unharmed. However, Israeli officials estimate that about a third of the hostages still in Gaza may already be dead.
The October 7 Hamas-led attack led to the abduction of 251 hostages, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who Israeli authorities believe are dead.
Following the attack, Netanyahu vowed to defeat Hamas and bring all hostages home. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed 42,438 people in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians, according to data from Gaza’s health ministry.
With inputs from Reuters