The IDF confirmed on Thursday that an Israeli Air Force strike three months ago killed Hamas’s de facto prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Rawhi Mushtaha. Mushtaha was targeted along with senior Hamas operatives Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Odeh, both of whom held key security roles in Hamas’s political bureau, according to the IDF.

The IDF said that the airstrike hit the terrorists while they were hiding in a tunnel in northern Gaza. The tunnel served as a command and control center for Hamas, allowing senior operatives to remain concealed for extended periods.

Mushtaha, described by the IDF as Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar’s “right-hand man,” was a key figure in the terrorist group’s leadership and is believed to have helped plan the October 7 massacre. Both Mushtaha and Sinwar had shared a prison cell before being released in the 2011 prisoner swap deal that freed IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

“The IDF will continue to pursue all terrorists involved in the October 7 attacks and will act to eliminate anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel,” the military said in its statement.

In August, the IDF reported that another senior Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif, was killed in July during an operation in southern Gaza. Deif, head of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, was known for orchestrating numerous attacks against Israel, including a series of deadly bus bombings in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hailed Deif’s elimination as a “significant milestone” in Israel’s efforts to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities. Gallant referred to Deif as the “Osama bin Laden of Gaza,” emphasizing the strategic importance of his death in weakening Hamas’s authority.

Additionally, Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’s politburo, was killed in July in an alleged Israeli operation in Tehran, though Israel has not officially confirmed its involvement.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)