Israel killed at least a dozen senior Hamas military and political officials during the first year of the Gaza war. Its most daring operations killed Haniyeh in Tehran and Mohammed Deif, the chief Hamas military commander, in Gaza, both in July 2024. In January, Mossad chief David Barnea vowed that Israel was “committed to settling accounts” with everyone involved—“directly or indirectly,” including “planners and envoys”—in the Hamas invasion of Gaza. “It’ll take time, as it took time after the Munich massacre, but we will put our hands on them wherever they are,” he said, referring to the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.
The military commanders were part of the Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigades, the military unit named for a Muslim preacher in the 1930s who opposed the British occupation. Established in 1991, the Qassam Brigades have targeted Israel with rockets, in suicide bombings, and cross-border raids. The following is a rundown of the Israeli assassinations.
Ayman Nofal – A key member of the General Military Council Nofal also coordinated attacks on Israel with other Palestinian factions. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 17, 2023.
Jamila al Shanti – The first woman elected to the Hamas political bureau, Shanti was the widow of Hamas co-founder Aziz al Rantisi and founder of the Hamas women’s wing. She was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Oct. 19, 2023.
Ibrahim Biari – The commander of the Jabaliya Battalion was responsible for operations in northern Gaza. Israel claimed Biari dispatched the fighters that raided southern Israel on Oct. 7. For two decades, he had also organized rocket attacks on Israel military and civilian targets. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 31, 2023 that also killed at least 126 civilians.
Khalil Kharaz – The deputy chief of the Qassam Brigades in Lebanon – part of the Hamas military operation abroad – was killed by an Israeli drone strike on a car carrying other Hamas fighters near Tyre on Nov. 21, 2023.
Saleh al Arouri – A co-founder of the Hamas military wing in the West Bank and a deputy political leader, he later became a key intermediary between Hamas and Hezbollah. He and two other senior Hamas officials were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in southern Beirut on Dec. 25, 2023.
Marwan Issa – A deputy commander of the Hamas military wing in Gaza, he reportedly was one of the key planners of the Oct. 7 attacks. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp on March 10, 2024.
Mohammed Deif – The top Hamas military commander, he was reportedly the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,100 Israelis and foreigners. He reportedly died in an airstrike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza on July 13, 2024 that also killed at least 90 other Palestinians and injured over 300. Hamas claimed that he survived.
Ismail Haniyeh – The head of the Hamas political office was the chief negotiator – through Qatar and Egypt – with Israel and the United States on terms for a ceasefire and hostage release. He was based in Doha but died while visiting Iran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 31, 2024. He was reportedly killed by a bomb smuggled into the Iranian compound months before his visit and detonated by remote control.
Jaber Aziz – The commander of the Al Furqan Battalion reportedly helped plan and train for the Oct. 7 attack. Aziz was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City on Aug. 4, 2024.
Abdel Fattah al Zeriei – The economy minister reportedly oversaw the distribution of funds, supplies, and fuel for Hamas; he also allegedly directed the seizure of international humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Zeriei and his mother were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Deir al Balah in central Gaza on Aug. 5, 2024.
Samer Mahmoud al Haj – The commander of Hamas forces at the Ain al Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon reportedly recruited and trained operatives. He was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Sidon, Lebanon on Aug. 9, 2024.
Youssef al Kahlout – Israel alleged that he was a member of Hamas’ central leadership while Arab media described him as a professor of Arabic language at the Islamic University of Gaza. He was killed with around 100 other Palestinians in an Israeli airstrike on a school used to shelter civilians in Gaza City on Aug. 10, 2024. Israel alleged that at least 31 of the dead were members of either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Amgad Yemini – The platoon commander was killed in the Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City on Aug. 10, 2024 that left about 100 dead.
Ahmed Abu Ara – The senior operative was involved in the planning and execution of a deadly Jordan Valley shooting on August 11 as well as two West Bank bombings on June 27 and July 23. He was also allegedly involved in manufacturing explosives for Hamas. Abu Ara and commander Raafat Dawasi were killed in an Israeli drone strike on their car in Jenin on Aug. 17, 2024.
Raafat Dawasi – The commander of the Jenin Battalion was reportedly involved in a deadly Jordan Valley shooting on Aug. 11 as well as two West Bank bombings on June 27 and July 23. Dawasi and senior operative Ahmed Abu Ara were killed by an Israeli drone strike on their car in Jenin on Aug. 17, 2024.
Wassem Hazem – The head of Hamas in Jenin reportedly carried out and directed various shooting and bombing attacks. He was killed in an IDF operation in Jenin along with two others on Aug. 30, 2024.
Ahmed Fawzi Nasser Muhammad Wadiyya – The head of the Daraj-Tuffah Battalion in the Nukhba Force reportedly led the assault on Netiv Ha’asara during the October 7 attacks. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a compound near Al Ahli hospital in Gaza in August 2024.
Samer Abu Daqqa – The head of Hamas' aerial unit in Gaza was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas command and control center within a Khan Yunis humanitarian zone on Sept. 9, 2024.
Osama Tabesh – The chief of the Hamas surveillance and targeting division within military intelligence was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a command and control center within a Kham Yunis humanitarian zone on Sept. 9, 2024.