On Thursday, 3rd October, the Israeli military declared that it had eliminated another Hamas leader identified as Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas administration in Gaza. The country also stated that two more security officers along with Mushtaha were eliminated during airstrikes three months ago.
According to an Israeli military statement, the strike targeted an underground facility in northern Gaza, killing Mushtaha and leaders Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Oudeh. Rawhi Mushtaha was the de facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip, Siraj held the security portfolio of the Hamas political bureau and Hamas Labor Committee whereas Oudeh was Commander of Hamas General Security Mechanism.
“During a precise IDF and ISA intelligence-based strike, IAF fighter jets struck and eliminated the terrorists while they were hiding in a fortified and equipped underground compound in the northern Gaza Strip. The compound served as a Hamas command and control centre and enabled senior operatives to remain inside of it for extended periods,” the official statement by Israel read.
Joint IDF and ISA announcement:
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 3, 2024
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐃𝐅 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐰𝐡𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐡𝐚, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩
The IDF and ISA currently announce that…
“Following the strike on the compound and the elimination of the terrorists, Hamas did not announce their deaths as it had done following previous eliminations, in order to prevent loss of morale and functioning of its terror operatives,” added the statement.
As per the statement, Rawhi Mushtaha was a prominent Hamas agent with direct influence over Hamas troop deployment choices. Mushtaha participated in military decisions while simultaneously serving as the Head of Hamas Civil Governance in the Gaza Strip and the Prisoners Affairs Portfolio. He formerly held the finance portfolio.
Mushtaha and Yahya Sinwar founded Hamas’ General Security Mechanism, the official statement was quoted. They served a prison sentence together in an Israeli jail. Mushtaha was regarded as the most senior official in Hamas’ political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and he maintained civil control of the Hamas administration while engaging in terrorist operations against Israel during the conflict. Mushtaha was believed to be Sinwar’s right-hand person and one of his closest confidants.
The Israel govt added that “The IDF and ISA will continue to pursue all of the terrorists responsible for the October 7th massacre and will operate against anyone who threatens the State of Israel.”
This comes days after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in his bunker in an Israeli air strike. Apparently, the strike that happened on 29th September was approved by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu while he was attending a United Nations meeting in New York. Also on July 13th, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that Hamas military wing commander Mohammed Deif had been killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.
On July 31st, Hamas confirmed that their chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran. He was killed in an Israeli air strike on his house. His three sons, Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad, along with a number of his grandchildren, were also killed in an Israeli attack in April this year. Several other Islamist leaders belonging to Hamas are being targeted by Israel after the former launched a dreadful attack on Israel in October 2023, parading women naked and murdering innocent.
Hamas, short for “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya” (Islamic Resistance Movement), was established in 1987. It was an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. In the beginning, the Muslim Brotherhood was relatively moderate. However, with the evolution of Hamas, it turned into a radical Islamist organization. The full name of the Palestinian terrorist organization translates to the “Islamic Resistance Movement”.
In its founding documents, specifically in the Hamas Charter published on 18th August 1988, the group emphasized jihad and the establishment of an Islamic state from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. From the charter, came the infamous murderous slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The ultimate goal of the terrorist organization is the destruction of Israel.
