11/26/2023 8:33 am, updated 11/26/2023 8:46 am
The extremist group Hamas confirmed the deaths of four military commanders in the Gaza Strip. One of them is Ahmad Al Ghandour, leader of the Northern Brigade.
The confirmation came this Sunday, on the second day of the ceasefire agreement between the group and Israel.
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In a statement, the Ezzedine AlQassam Brigades said that Ahmed AlGhandour was a member of its military council. Another name confirmed by the group was Ayman Siyyam, head of the brigades’ missile launch units.
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Ghandour whose nom de guerre was Abu Anas was designated a “global terrorist” by the US in 2017, a former member of Hamas’ Shura Council and a member of its political cabinet.
“Al Ghandour is a member of the Military Council and commander of the Northern Brigade,” AlQassam Brigades posted on its Telegram channel.
On November 17, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Al Ghandour had indeed been hit in an attack. However, there was no confirmation of its north.
Search for Hamas leaders in ceasefire agreement
The search for Hamas leaders was part of the agreement between Israel and the extremist group that led to the ceasefire. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised not to kill Qatarbased commanders.
Qatar is the main peace broker between the two sides. The country would have received guarantees from Israel that the Mossad (secret service and operational agency) would not commit murders there.
That doesn’t mean these leaders can’t be assassinated elsewhere. Last Wednesday (November 22nd), for example, Netanyahu held a press conference together with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz in which he clearly stated that he had ordered the Mossad to take action against the commanders.
“The agreement does not contain a commitment not to conduct a ceasefire against the leaders of Hamas, whoever they are,” the prime minister said, without mentioning the noaction clause in Qatar.