Israel's military said on Friday it had killed a top Hamas commander in a Gaza airstrike a day earlier, as it presses ahead with a bombing campaign in the Palestinian territory despite US-backed efforts to salvage a 2025 ceasefire.
In a statement, Hamas' armed wing confirmed the death of Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri in a Thursday airstrike, saying he played a prominent role in planning the October 7, 2023 attacks that set off Israel's two-year military assault.
The Israeli military said the strike targeting Yazouri also killed two other commanders. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
Al-Yazouri, also known as "Abu Al-Haitham," was commander of Gaza's Khan Younis Brigade in the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement.
He and Hudhaifa Abu Muammar, an engineer in the Qassam Brigades, were killed in an Israeli drone strike while they were walking in the Al-Mawasi area at midnight Thursday-Friday.
Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Yazouri was not quickly identified, as he was in pieces and his body, including his face, was disfigured.
The sources revealed that the sudden loss of contact with him prompted some of those close to him to try to find out if he was the target, and it became clear in the early hours of dawn that he was among the victims.
According to two sources, al-Yazouri assumed responsibility for the Khan Younis Brigade shortly after the assassination of the brigade leaders Ezzedine al-Haddad and Mohammad Oudeh, who were assassinated within ten days in May.
Al-Yazouri was the commander of central and western Khan Younis, before becoming the general commander of the brigade.
He worked for years in other positions within the Qassam leadership, including the intelligence apparatus, which was one of the agencies that worked on gathering security information in preparation for the October 7, 2023, attack.
A third source said al-Yazouri escaped several assassination attempts, whether during the current war or years before it.
One of the most prominent attempts occurred when he was with Rafe Salama, Mohammad Sinwar, and Yahya Sinwar in a tunnel in Khan Younis in 2021. Israeli planes bombed the site with several missiles during what was known as the battle of the "Sword of Jerusalem," which Israel named "Guardian of the Walls." Everyone survived the attack.
Abu Muammar was an engineer in the Qassam Brigades who was responsible for developing the military capabilities of the brigades and was close to its prominent leaders.
He was responsible for several attacks against Israeli forces during the Gaza war and others before it.
