TEL AVIV, March 11 Israel eliminated the fourth most important leader in the Hamas hierarchy in the Gaza Strip, the rest of the movement's commanders are waiting their turn, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
«We are on the path to complete victory. On the way to this victory, we have already eliminated the fourth (most important member) of Hamas. Numbers three, two and one are already in line,» Netanyahu said in a video message distributed by the prime minister's office.
The statement came amid press reports about the possible liquidation of the third most important commander of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Marwan Isa, who served as deputy head of the organization's military wing. Security forces are currently checking this information. The Times of Israel notes that number four probably refers to the murder of the deputy head of the Hamas Politburo, Saleh al-Arouri, which occurred in Lebanon in early January.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took more than 200 hostages. In Israel, according to the latest data from the authorities, about 1.2 thousand people were killed, this number includes civilians, soldiers, foreign citizens and workers, and it was also reported that more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped. At the end of October, the ground phase of the Israeli operation in the enclave began.
The death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has exceeded 31 thousand, and more than 72 thousand people have been injured, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported.
Hamas claimed that there were about 200-250 hostages in the Gaza Strip. By this time, according to Israeli official data, 112 hostages had been released, more than 30 were considered dead and about 100 were still being held in the Palestinian enclave.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.