IAF strikes in Gaza Strip kill five senior Hamas officials - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

On Monday night, the IDF began striking the Gaza Strip, in a move that the Prime Minister's Office said was in response to Hamas's refusal to release the hostages still held in Gaza.

 

Members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and mourners attend the funeral of Al-Qassam fighters who were killed during the war between Israel and Hamas in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, February 28, 2025.

(photo credit: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)

Four senior Hamas members were killed in the IDF strikes on Gaza overnight, Hamas claimed on Tuesday.

On Monday night, the IDF began striking the Gaza Strip in a move that the Prime Minister's Office said was in response to Hamas's refusal to release the hostages still held in Gaza. 

On Tuesday morning, Hamas claimed that over 300 people have been killed so far, among them four of its senior officials. It named them as Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the director-general of Hamas's Interior Ministry; Issam al-Da'alis, members of Hamas's political bureau; Ahmed Omar al-Hatta, a senior leader; and Bahjat Abu Sultan, responsible for Hamas's internal security apparatus.

Details of the senior members

Da'alis, a native of Jabalya, previously served as Hamas's de facto prime minister in Gaza. However, Arab media claimed that Da'alis was eliminated in a strike on 23 July 2024, confirming his death months later on 22 January 2025.

Da'alis also worked as an advisor to Ismail Haniyeh.

Palestinian official Issam al-Da'alis from Hamas's political bureau stands outside the VIP hall at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on October 3, 2021, as a delegation from Gaza travels to Egypt for talks. (credit: Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images)

Hatta, known as "Abu Omar," reportedly served as the director-general of Hamas's Justice Ministry and was involved in strengthening the Islamic legal system in the Strip, Ynet reported. 

Sultan was reportedly responsible for internal operations in Gaza and was considered to be a prominent leader in Hamas, according to Sky News Arabia.

He previously held the position of director-general of the Organization and Administration Authority in Hamas's Interior Ministry.

Watfa was director-general of Hamas's Interior Ministry in Gaza. Israeli media reported his family was also killed in the strike on his Gaza home.

Hamas eulogized the "martyrs" saying: "As we mourn these leaders who have worked since the beginning of the war of extermination to alleviate the suffering of their people, faithfully shouldering the responsibility entrusted to them, and who have ascended after a journey filled with sacrifices and honorable stances—serving as exemplars of dedication and devotion to their work—we affirm that the loss of government leadership will not deter us from fulfilling our national duty toward our Palestinian people. We remain committed to our religious obligation and our ethical and professional role in serving them, supporting their resilience, and standing firm in the face of this brutal aggression."

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-846486

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