Israeli’s air strikes resulted in the deaths of three of the most senior leaders in Hamas on Thursday.
The deaths of Raed al-Attar, Mohammed Abu Shammala, and Mohammed Barhoum, are the most significant and highest-ranking casualties in the six-week conflict in Gaza. Thousands of supporters of the Hamas militants proceeded to hold the largest funeral processions since the conflict had started, according a report from the Washington Post.
The Post report further said that Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, commended Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, for “the extraordinary intelligence gathered” that allowed for the assassinations of the three Hamas leaders. This targeted attack also manifests Israel’s intentions to increase efforts to the Hamas leaders.
“We will continue to seek out and target Hamas leaders anywhere, and everywhere—wherever they are,” said Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli Defense Minster.
Amos Yadlin, a former chief of Israel’s military intelligence, described Israel’s new intentions for the conflict in an Israeli Radio broadcast.
“The prime minister has adopted a strategy which says, ‘You shoot at us, we’ll hit you seven times harder; You want attrition? We have intelligence and an air force that will crush you with greater force,’” he said.
Hamas, on the other hand, considered these leaders as martyrs, and declared that “when one leader is martyred, other leaders take the flag and continue the march,” as said by Hamas’s deputy political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
This targeted attack from Israel comes after a previous Israeli attempt to assassinate Hamas’s top military commander, Mohammed Deif. In this attempt, all of Deif’s immediate family, including his wife, daughter, and seven-month-old son, were killed, but Deif survived the attack, according to multiple reports.
Thus far, health officials accounted for 2,066 Palestinian deaths, and 67 Israeli deaths.
