Latest news with #AlQassamBrigades
Sky News
3 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Israel confirms Hamas chief Mohammad Sinwar was killed - as group makes counter-offer on ceasefire
Israel has confirmed its forces have killed Hamas's Gaza chief, Mohammad Sinwar, as US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called the group's counter-offer on a ceasefire "totally unacceptable". Mohammad Sinwar became the leader of the militant group in the Gaza Strip after his older brother Yahya Sinwar was killed last October. In a statement, the Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar on 13 May, and was the target of a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament on Wednesday that he had been "eliminated". Who was 'The Shadow' Mohammed Sinwar? Mohammed Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahyah Sinwar, the former leader of Hamas and mastermind behind the 7 October attacks, who was killed by IDF forces in Rafah last October. In January of this year, Mohammed was confirmed as the new leader of Hamas in Gaza, following the death of his brother. Amongst Palestinians, he never had the reputation of Yahya, but he was widely believed to have played a significant role in the kidnap and holding of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006 and demanded the release of Yahya Sinwar from Israeli prison as part of a swap deal. Born in Khan Younis, Mohammed Sinwar rose through the ranks of Hamas to become a senior commander in Al Qassam Brigades, the group's military wing. He was known as 'The Shadow', in part because of the junior role he played to his older brother and also because few images of him exist. He survived multiple assassination attempts and was previously incorrectly declared dead during Israel's war in Gaza. Sinwar had a reputation for being stubborn, and Israeli sources in the ceasefire negotiations blamed him for slowing the process and changing his demands at the last minute. The IDF has confirmed he was with the commander of the Rafah brigade, Mohammed Shabanah, in tunnels underneath the European Hospital in Gaza when the IDF struck in mid-May. Shabanah's death is significant because he was a likely successor to Sinwar. It would leave Azadi al-Hadad, the Gaza City Brigade Commander, as the only living Hamas commander from 7 October. He would likely be in line as the next Hamas chief in Gaza. It comes as Hamas said it was seeking amendments to a US-proposed ceasefire deal, offering 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Thursday, the White House said Israel agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal, which would see the release of nine living hostages and half of the known hostages who have died over the course of a week. Israel and Hamas would then continue talks to bring the remaining hostages home, but Israel would retain the right to resume military action in Gaza if talks were to break down. In a statement about the proposal on Saturday, Hamas said its response "aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the Strip". 0:50 Hamas offer 'totally unacceptable' - Witkoff Donald Trump's special Middle East envoy, Mr Witkoff, said on social media that Hamas's response is "totally unacceptable and only takes us backwards". "Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week," he added. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that the group has not rejected the proposal but added Mr Witkoff's response was "unfair" and showed "complete bias" towards Israel. Israel has not yet responded to Hamas' counter-offer, but has previously rejected the conditions and demanded the complete disarmament and dismantling of the group. Meanwhile, Gaza aid groups have said dozens of World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people. The WFP added: "After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by." Amjad Al-Shawa, head of an umbrella group representing Palestinian aid groups, said hundreds more trucks were needed and accused Israel of a "systematic policy of starvation". Israel denies operating a policy of starvation and says it is facilitating aid deliveries via the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Instead, it accuses Hamas of stealing supplies.
LBCI
12-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Hamas says freed US-Israeli hostage
Hamas said Monday that its armed wing had released a U.S.-Israeli hostage, with a source close to the Islamist movement adding that Edan Alexander was handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis. "The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have just released the Zionist soldier and American citizen Edan Alexander, following contacts with the U.S. administration, as part of the efforts undertaken by mediators to achieve a ceasefire," Hamas said in a statement. AFP
LBCI
12-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Hamas armed wing says will release US-Israeli hostage Monday
Hamas' armed wing said it would release on Monday U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since October 2023. "The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to release the Zionist soldier holding American citizenship, Edan Alexander, today, Monday," the spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, Abu Ubeida, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. AFP
Al Bawaba
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Al-Qassam strikes 19 Israeli troops in Rafah
ALBAWABA - Hamas' armed branch, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said Thursday that it has killed and wounded many troops after attacking two Israeli units in the Al-Tannour area of Rafah in the east. During operations in southern Gaza, the Israeli military subsequently reported that two of its men had died and four others had been injured. Al-Qassam stated in a statement that its fighters destroyed a home near Fida'i Junction by firing anti-personnel and anti-armor rounds at a 12-member Israeli engineering team. According to the organization, many people were killed when the home burst after the hit. It has been claimed that helicopters have arrived at the scene to remove the injured. Seven Israeli troops were allegedly caught in a different ambush close to the Omar ibn Abdul Aziz Mosque. According to al-Qassam, a powerful explosive device exploded, leaving many soldiers dead or injured. Two troops from the Golani and Engineering brigades were confirmed dead, while two commanders and two soldiers were critically injured, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Video of helicopters delivering wounded troops to hospitals in Ashkelon and Jerusalem was shared by Israeli media. The current fighting in Rafah coincides with Israel's larger ground campaign in Gaza, which recommenced on March 18 after a ceasefire brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt broke down. There had been few prisoner swaps between Israel and Hamas during the first truce, which started on January 19. The U.S.-backed Israeli onslaught has killed over 172,000 Palestinians, including more than 11,000 who are still unaccounted for, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The victims are mostly women and children. Israel has recorded 856 troops dead and over 5,800 injured since the war began on October 7, 2023, including over 2,600 wounded during the ground assault of Gaza. Palestinian groups, meanwhile, point to strict media restrictions and unrecorded deaths as evidence that the Israeli military is downplaying its losses. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who allegedly backed out of the second phase of the ceasefire deal due to pressure from his far-right coalition allies, restarted the military assault. The escalation comes amid mounting internal criticism of Netanyahu.
Al Bawaba
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Rafah ambush rocks Israeli forces as Gaza toll mounts; US proposes new aid plan
ALBAWABA- At least two Israeli soldiers were killed and a dozen others injured in a deadly ambush in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to Israeli media. Also Read Israeli strikes kill 92 Palestinians in Gaza today The assault, carried out in the Al-Tannour neighborhood, led to the collapse of a building where an Israeli engineering unit was allegedly preparing to detonate explosives. The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, claimed responsibility, stating that they targeted the force with anti-tank and anti-personnel missiles, leaving most of the unit either dead or severely wounded. In a separate incident, the Brigades reported hitting another Israeli unit of seven soldiers with an explosive device, describing the aftermath as one of dismembered remains scattered at the scene. Meanwhile, Gaza's health authorities reported 106 Palestinians killed and 367 wounded in the past 24 hours amid relentless Israeli air raids across the enclave. Since March 18, when Israel resumed its campaign, 2,651 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,200 injured. The broader death toll since October 7, 2023, now stands at 52,760 killed and 119,264 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Gaza government issued a grim statistical overview of the war's toll: over 11,926 massacres, 2,200 families completely annihilated, and 6,350 individuals erased from the civil registry. The war has also devastated public services: 2.1 million cases of infectious diseases have been recorded due to overcrowding and displacement, including over 71,000 cases of viral hepatitis. In the education sector, more than 150 scientists and university professors, 800 teachers, and 13,000 students have been killed. Also Read Pakistan claims shooting down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones At least 143 educational institutions were destroyed completely, with 366 others partially damaged. Religious and cultural heritage sites have also been hit: 828 mosques leveled, 167 severely damaged, three churches attacked, and 19 cemeteries destroyed or desecrated. Efforts to provide humanitarian relief have been stymied, with 66 relief facilities, including hospices and aid centers, targeted. More than 37,400 aid and fuel trucks have been prevented from entering Gaza since Israel's complete closure of border crossings over two months ago. In a diplomatic development, the United States has submitted a proposal to the UN Security Council aimed at delivering aid to Gaza without direct Israeli military involvement. The plan includes establishing four distribution centers to serve 1.2 million Palestinians, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
