Israeli airstrikes over the past three days in various parts of the Gaza Strip were not entirely random and targeted several key Hamas operatives, killing five “influential” field commanders and seriously wounding another, sources within Palestinian factions, including Hamas, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
All six men were members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, the sources said.
According to Hamas sources, the movement’s leadership believes Israel may be attempting to “replicate the Lebanese scenario” in Gaza - a reference to Israeli strikes and assassinations against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon despite the declared ceasefire between the two sides.
A Hamas source said that on Sunday, Israel used a suicide drone to assassinate Taj al-Din al-Wahidi, the deputy commander of the “Western Battalion” in Jabalia, which belongs to the Qassam Brigades. Al-Wahidi was killed while inside an apartment near Gaza City’s port area, the source said.
The source described al-Wahidi as the “de facto commander” of the battalion, who oversaw a series of operations against Israeli forces during the war, personally supervising both planning and execution. He had survived multiple previous assassination attempts and was among those who directed the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel’s Zikim military post, the source added.
A separate Hamas source said another drone fired at least one missile at a group of four senior Hamas operatives, killing all four and critically wounding their field commander - the leader of an elite company within the Eastern Battalion in Jabalia.
The men had been gathered near a beach resort in the central Gaza town of al-Zawaida. All were residents of the Jabalia refugee camp and had been assigned various combat missions during the war, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The wounded commander, who remains in critical condition, is a wanted man from a prominent pro-Hamas family in Jabalia, the source added. He and his group were the last remaining active cell from the Eastern Battalion in the camp.
According to the sources, the cell had recently been tasked with targeting the al-Samaana gang, one of several armed groups operating in Jabalia and Beit Lahia that Hamas accuses of collaborating with Israel.
‘Lebanese scenario’
Hamas sources did not rule out that Israel’s insistence on maintaining security control over Gaza could be part of a broader strategy to “recreate the Lebanese experience” by carrying out assassinations of field commanders and activists under the pretext of preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities.
“The assassinations carried out last Sunday confirm Israel’s intention to continue this pattern,” one source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It may use the issue of disarmament as a pretext to conduct future strikes inside Gaza, just as it has done in Lebanon.”
While Hamas sources expressed confidence in Arab and Islamic mediators, they said the movement still does not trust the United States, which “has often allowed Israel to pursue its plans,” even if Washington is now discouraging a return to all-out war.
“The scenario unfolding in Lebanon could well be repeated in Gaza,” one Hamas source said. “That is why the movement’s leadership insisted throughout negotiations on a complete ceasefire, with clear guarantees from all mediators, including the US - guarantees that Hamas ultimately secured during the Sharm el-Sheikh talks.”
‘No turning back’
A field source said Israeli violations could have a “limited impact” on the current ceasefire but stressed that Hamas remains committed to the truce.
“The movement does not want to go backward but to move forward,” the source stressed. “However, Israel’s actions on the ground and its aggressive behavior are affecting the situation and could lead to a brief period of reciprocal clashes before mediators intervene again, as happened last time.”
“It is unreasonable for the world to dwell on what happened in Rafah, when the details remain unclear, while ignoring Israel’s daily violations that have killed dozens of civilians across the Strip for no reason other than killing,” the source added.
The Hamas and factional delegation, currently in Cairo, is expected to continue discussions with senior Egyptian officials to ensure that the ceasefire is “clearly defined and prevents Israel from manipulating it at will, as it does in Lebanon,” the source said.
