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Key Hamas Figure Hadi Mustafa: Latest Target in Israeli Assassinations

A source attributed the success of Israeli operations to assassinate key figures to constant surveillance of Lebanese airspace
A source attributed the success of Israeli operations to assassinate key figures to constant surveillance of Lebanese airspace
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Key Hamas Figure Hadi Mustafa: Latest Target in Israeli Assassinations

A source attributed the success of Israeli operations to assassinate key figures to constant surveillance of Lebanese airspace
A source attributed the success of Israeli operations to assassinate key figures to constant surveillance of Lebanese airspace

The recent killing of Hadi Ali Mohammed Mustafa, a key member of Hamas' military wing abroad, is part of a series of targeted assassinations of the movement’s leaders in Lebanon.

Mustafa, hailed by Hamas as a martyr, was identified by the Israeli army as a central figure in al-Qassam Brigades’s operations in Lebanon, allegedly orchestrating terrorist activities against Israeli targets worldwide.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated that Mustafa was involved in directing sabotage cells and attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets globally.

He was also noted as a leading member in the organization’s construction department, led by Samir Fendi, a close associate of Saleh al-Arouri, who was killed alongside him.

Media reports suggest Mustafa was a Hamas member responsible for logistics, originating from the Rashidieh camp.

However, a senior Hamas source in Lebanon stated Mustafa was a significant figure without an official title, debunking claims of multiple roles.

The source attributed the success of Israeli operations to assassinate key Hamas and Hezbollah figures to constant surveillance of Lebanese airspace, intercepting targets regardless of location.

Following Mustafa’s death, the Israeli army pledged continued action against Hamas terrorism wherever it operates.

Last November, Hamas announced the killing of Khalil al-Kharraz, a leader in the al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon, and four associates in a strike on their car in southern Lebanon.

In January, Hamas announced the death of its senior political leader al-Arouri in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The strike also killed two Hamas military leaders, Fendi and Azzam al-Aqraa.

Last month, Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas recruiter Bassel al-Salah in Lebanon, but the mission failed.

Hamas’ role in Lebanon had been mostly non-military until recently. However, with Hezbollah’s support, they have become more involved in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, launching rockets from Lebanon into occupied Palestinian territories.

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Israel Warfare Methods 'Consistent With Genocide', Says UN Committee

Israel's warfare practices in Gaza "are consistent with the characteristics of genocide", according to the United Nations Special Committee - AFP
Israel's warfare practices in Gaza "are consistent with the characteristics of genocide", according to the United Nations Special Committee - AFP
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Israel Warfare Methods 'Consistent With Genocide', Says UN Committee

Israel's warfare practices in Gaza "are consistent with the characteristics of genocide", according to the United Nations Special Committee - AFP
Israel's warfare practices in Gaza "are consistent with the characteristics of genocide", according to the United Nations Special Committee - AFP

Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, a special UN committee said Thursday, accusing the country of "using starvation as a method of war".

The United Nations Special Committee pointed to "mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians", in a fresh report covering the period from Hamas's deadly October 7 attack in Israel last year through to July, AFP reported.

"Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury," it said in a statement.

Israel's warfare practices in Gaza "are consistent with the characteristics of genocide", said the committee, which has for decades been investigating Israeli practices affecting rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel, it charged, was "using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population".

A UN-backed assessment at the weekend warned that famine was imminent in northern Gaza.

Thursday's report documented how Israel's extensive bombing campaign in Gaza had decimated essential services and unleashed an environmental catastrophe with lasting health impacts.

By February this year, Israeli forces had used more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives across the Gaza Strip, "equivalent to two nuclear bombs", the report pointed out.

"By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come," the committee said.

The committee said it was "deeply alarmed by the unprecedented destruction of civilian infrastructure and the high death toll in Gaza", where more than 43,700 people have been killed since the war began, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The staggering number of deaths raised serious concerns, it said, about Israel's use of artificial intelligence-enhanced targeting systems in its military operations.

"The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate safeguards to prevent civilian deaths," it said.

It warned that reported new directives lowering the criteria for selecting targets and increasing the previously accepted ratio of civilian to combatant casualties appeared to have allowed the military to use AI systems to "rapidly generate tens of thousands of targets, as well as to track targets to their homes, particularly at night when families shelter together".

The committee stressed the obligations of other countries to urgently act to halt the bloodshed, saying that "other States are unwilling to hold Israel accountable and continue to provide it with military and other support".