Ayman Nofal, commander of the AlQassam Brigades, died in an Israeli attack Portal May 2, 2011
The terrorist group Hamas announced on Tuesday (17) the death of one of its military commanders in an Israeli attack in the center of the Gaza Strip, on the 11th day of a war that has claimed thousands of lives on both sides.
Ayman Nofal, commander of the AlQassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, was killed in an attack in the Bureij camp, a brief statement said.
According to the Israeli army, six more Hamas leaders were killed in the first week of the war against terrorists:
Ali Qadi, Hamas commander of the Nukhba Jabalya Attack Division.
Muetaz Eid National Security Commander for the Southern District.
Bilal al Kedra Commander who reportedly led the October 7 attack.
Merad Abu Merad Commander in charge of aerial artillery in Gaza.
Zachariah Abu Ma’amar Director of Hamas’s International Relations Office.
Joad Abu Shmalah Hamas Minister of Economy for the Gaza Strip.
The war between Israel and Hamas began after the terrorist group’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7. The action was considered the most violent since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
More than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, were murdered by Hamas terrorists. In addition, there are around 200 people who were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip.
Why is Rafá’s passage so important in Israel’s war against Hamas?
The Rafá border crossing is crucial for the movement of people and goods between Gaza and the outside world. Recent airstrikes that hit the neutral zone between the Egyptian and Palestinian gates have caused significant damage and further complicated the already tense humanitarian situation in the region. The border crossing is increasingly being discussed in negotiations between different parties and attempts to reach an agreement on it. The war broke out on October 7th. The Rafah border crossing in the southern part of Gaza borders the Sinai Peninsula and is the only way to enter Egypt. It serves as an important link between Gaza and the rest of the world. Efforts to open the Rafá Pass have so far yielded no results. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel had not yet allowed the opening of the border crossing connecting Gaza with Egypt. Both Israel and Egypt impose strict controls on the passage of people and goods as part of a previous blockade imposed in 2007 after Hamas. Trucks from several countries loaded with hundreds of tons of aid from humanitarian organizations wait in El Aris, one Egyptian city next to Rafah, on the entry into Gaza. Egypt is already hosting around 9 million migrants from countries such as Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Libya, among others, and also facing an economic crisis, is reluctant to simply open the Rafá border crossing to hundreds of thousands of additional refugees