The Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of 54 people in Gaza, including leaders of Hamas. – Adel Hana / AP / SIPA
While the most intense clashes in seven years between Gaza and Israel have killed at least 58 people since Monday, the armed Islamist movement Hamas confirmed the death of several of its commanders on Wednesday afternoon. Of the 58 dead, 53 lived in Gaza, including 14 children, and five in Israel.
In a statement, Hamas announced the death of Bassem Issa, head of its military wing for Gaza City, the capital of that Palestinian territory, and “many” other senior military officials of the organization in strikes. the Israeli army.
Three other leaders killed
The Ezzedine al-Qassam brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, did not name the other members of the organization killed in the Israeli strikes but hailed in a statement the “courage” of the “leaders” and “fighters” who rose during the aggression of the occupation forces (name given by Hamas to Israel) against the positions of the movement.
The Shin Beth, the Israeli internal intelligence service, had earlier in the afternoon announced the death of Bassem Issa but also three other leaders of the organization in strikes against the Palestinian enclave of two million inhabitants. The Shin Beth said that the Israeli forces had thus killed Jamaa Tahla, right-hand man of Mohammed Deif, the No. 1 of the armed wing of the movement, Gamal Zabda, head of the development of technological capacities of the movement and Khazem Khatib, head of the department. of Hamas Engineering.
1,000 rockets were fired at Israel
In total, the Israeli services claim to have killed a “dozen” other Hamas officials, but also executives of Islamic Jihad, the second armed Islamist group in the Gaza Strip, in a series of strikes carried out since Monday evening.
The strikes, which continued on Wednesday, are carried out in retaliation for the barrages of rockets by Hamas and Islamic Jihad directed since Monday evening towards Israeli territory. According to the IDF, more than 1,000 rockets have been fired at Israel since Monday evening.