Most Prominent Hamas Leaders Assassinated by Israel since 1996

The Israeli occupation authorities declared on Thursday that their forces executed Yahya Sinwar, the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in the southern region of the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

2004: Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi

Shortly after, in less than a month, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, who succeeded Sheikh Yassin in the leadership of the movement, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

2004: Sheikh Khalil

In September of the same year, Izz al-Din Sheikh Khalil, an official within the movement, was killed in a car bomb attack.

2009: Nizar Rayyan

On January 1, 2009, Nizar Rayyan, a significant political and military figure within the movement, was killed during an Israeli military operation, which also resulted in the deaths of his wives and ten of his children.

2009: Saeed Siam

Fifteen days later, another military operation led to the death of Saeed Siam, a prominent leader who had served as the interior minister following Hamas's victory in the 2006 legislative elections.

2010: Mahmoud al-Mabhouh

On January 20, 2010, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a military official of the movement, was discovered dead in a hotel room in Dubai. Both the movement and the police in the emirate accused Israeli agents of orchestrating the operation using counterfeit foreign passports.

2012: Ahmed al-Jaabari

On November 14, 2012, Israel initiated Operation Pillar of Cloud against Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, commencing with the assassination of Ahmed al-Jaabari, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Qassam Brigades, through a missile strike on his vehicle.

2014: Three leaders in Rafah

An Israeli airstrike in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, on August 21, 2014, resulted in the deaths of three military leaders of the Qassam Brigades: Muhammad Abu Shamala, Raed al-Attar, and Muhammad Barhoum.

2024: Saleh al-Arouri

Months following the onset of the current conflict initiated by Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of the movement's political bureau, along with several of his associates, was killed in an airstrike attributed to Israel, which targeted a building.