Middle East | Israel confirms killing high-ranking Hamas commander in Gaza

Jerusalem: Israeli security forces confirmed on Sunday that they killed Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Israeli military and Shin Bet internal security agency said Salameh was killed in the area of Khan Yunis on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes on Saturday bombed the tents of displaced people in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 300 others, most of them women and children, according to the health authorities in Gaza.

Israeli media reported that Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Salameh were the targets of the Israeli airstrike.

Israel has not confirmed Deif’s status, but a Hamas official said on Sunday that the senior militant, who survived at least seven assassination attempts by Israel, has survived the recent attack too.

“Salameh was one of the closest associates of Mohammed Deif,” the military said, adding he was also “one of the masterminds” of Hamas’ rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023.

Salameh joined Hamas in the early 1990s. In 2016, he was appointed commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade and was responsible for launching projectiles from the Khan Yunis area towards Israeli territory and overseeing the operation of attack tunnels, the military said.

“The elimination of Rafa’a Salameh significantly impedes Hamas’ military capabilities,” the military noted.