The Israeli army on Thursday confirmed the killing of two senior commanders of the Ezzeddin al-Qassam, the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas, in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.
"IDF [army] and Israeli security forces eliminated seniorHamas terrorists Raed Attar and Mohamed Abu Shamala in Gaza last night," the army wrote on its Twitter account.
The army said that Attar and Abu Shamala had been responsible for dozens of attacks against Israeli soldiers, including a 2006 cross-border attack in which two soldiers had been killed and another kidnapped.
Earlier Thursday, the Qassam Brigades said that three commanders, including Attar and Abu Shamala, were killed in the southern Gaza Strip.
The brigades, however, gave no further details about the deaths.
But sources close to Hamas said the three commanders had been killed in an airstrike targeting a house in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in the southern Rafah city early Thursday.
Seven Palestinians were killed and around 54 others were injured in the attack.
Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip since Tuesday following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire with Palestinian factions.
Israel accuses Palestinian factions of violating the ceasefire, a claim denied by Hamas, which accuses the self-proclaimed Jewish state of derailing efforts aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire deal.
Since hostilities began on July 7, at least 2054 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 others injured in relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
According to Israeli figures, at least 67 Israelis – 64 soldiers and three civilians – have been killed.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade that has badly affected the local economy and played havoc with residents' livelihoods.
By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
englishnews@aa.com.tr
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