Israel Vows to Eliminate Hamas Leadership After Airstrike Kills Top Commanders

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Hamas leaders on May 31, 2025, following a successful IDF and Shin Bet operation that eliminated three senior Hamas figures in Gaza. The targeted airstrike killed Mohammed Sinwar, a key military leader, Mohammad Shabaneh, commander of the Rafah Brigade, and Mahdi Quara, head of the South Khan Yunis Battalion, all of whom were involved in the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,195 Israelis.

Katz declared, “Israel’s long arm will reach everyone involved in the October 7th massacre, wherever they are, near or far, until they are all dead,” specifically naming Az A-Din Al-Haddad in Gaza and Khalil Al-Hayya in Qatar as next in line.

The operation, conducted beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, used precise intelligence to avoid civilian harm, with fighter jets dropping 50 bombs in 30 seconds. Katz hailed the strike, stating, “It’s now official: mass murderer Mohammad Sinwar, along with Rafah Battalion commander Mohammad Shabaneh and their group, have been eliminated and sent to join his brother at the gates of hell. Congratulations to the IDF and the Shin Bet for a flawless operation.” Mohammed Sinwar, brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was a central figure in planning the October 7 attack and the 2006 abduction of Gilad Shalit.

Az A-Din Al-Haddad, also known as Abu Suhaib, commands Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade and is a veteran planner of the October 7 massacre, having survived several assassination attempts. His eldest son was killed earlier in the conflict. Khalil Al-Hayya, or Abu Osama, a senior political leader in Hamas’s Qatar-based bureau, lost family members in a 2014 airstrike during Operation Protective Edge. Al-Hayya, a key negotiator, confirmed Yahya Sinwar’s death in October 2024 but maintained Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal. Katz’s threat further pushes Israel’s resolve to dismantle Hamas’s leadership, with 58 hostages still held in Gaza, 22 believed alive.