GAZA CITY
The Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian faction Hamas, had confirmed that two of its field commanders, who went missing during the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, were killed, a Palestinian source said Sunday.
After a thorough investigation, the brigades confirmed the death of its two field commanders Bassil Abul Nagga and Ibrahim al-Ghamour, who were members of its elite force, during the latest Israeli offensive, the source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.
He said the Hamas armed wing also learned that the Israeli army had kept the remains of the two commanders until the present time.
The source said Qassam was tipped off by one of its members in an Israeli jail that the two commanders were killed by the Israeli army in eastern Khan Younis.
He added that the imprisoned Qassam member told the brigades that the two commanders were hiding in an eastern Khan Younis home when they ambushed an Israeli force and killed three troops.
The Israeli army had, however, shelled the home, killing the two commanders, but other members of the Qassam force had managed to escape through underground tunnels, the Palestinian source quoted the imprisoned Qassam member, who participated at the confrontation, as saying.
Qassam had searched for the remains of the two commanders ever since the Israeli offensive on Gaza came to an end on August 26.
Recently, however, a joint delegation from Qassam and the Palestinian faction Hamas paid a visit to the families of the two commanders and delivered the news to them, the Palestinian source said.
Hamas has not officially announced the death of the two commanders yet.
Israel launched its offensive on the Gaza Strip on July 7 with the stated aim of ending rocket firing from Gaza at its cities and towns.
Over 51 days of attacks, the Israeli military killed around 2,160 Palestinians and injured more than 11,000 others. Apart from this, the Israeli attacks either totally or partially destroyed thousands of Palestinian homes and facilities, including the Al-Wafa Hospital in eastern Gaza.
By Hani al-Shaer
www.aa.com.tr/en
