Hamas has confirmed that five of its senior leaders have been killed by Israeli forces, marking a significant blow to the U.S.-designated terrorist organization after months of Israeli claims and intelligence assessments, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In a statement released Monday, Hamas acknowledged that several top figures — including its former masked spokesman — were killed in Israeli strikes.
The acknowledgment came from the terrorist group's newly appointed spokesperson for what it called its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Among those confirmed dead was Abu Obeida, a longtime Hamas propagandist who served as the public face of the terror group's military operations.
Abu Obeida was a pseudonym used by Huthayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, who routinely appeared in videos wearing a military uniform and concealing his face with a red keffiyeh.
Israeli officials had announced his death after an airstrike on Aug. 31 in Gaza City, but Hamas had not confirmed it until now.
Both the Israeli military and Israel's Shin Bet security agency said at the time that al-Kahlout was killed in a targeted strike. Monday's statement marks the first official acknowledgment by Hamas itself.
The terror group also confirmed the deaths of Mohammad Sinwar, Hakham Muhammad Issa al-Issa, Mohammed Shabana, and Ra'ad Sa'ad — all senior operatives in the al-Qassam Brigades.
Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and a central figure in the group's command structure, was killed this past May in an Israeli airstrike near the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.
The Israeli military confirmed his death in August. At the time, Sinwar was serving as the head of the al-Qassam Brigades.
The same strike also killed Shabana, a commander in Hamas' Rafah Brigade.
Sa'ad was described by Israeli security officials as one of the most senior commanders in Hamas' military wing and a key planner of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and left more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel announced Sa'ad's death Dec. 13 after tracking his movements through Gaza's tunnel network for months. He was killed while traveling in a vehicle near Gaza City.
Issa, another confirmed casualty, was a founding member of the al-Qassam Brigades and headed combat support operations. He was killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood in June.
In Monday's address, Hamas' new spokesman said he had "inherited" the Abu Obeida name and praised the Oct. 7 attack, calling it a justified act of terror.
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