Israeli army claims to kill Hamas commander in Rafah

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army claimed Tuesday that it killed Mahmoud Hamdan, the commander of the Tel al-Sultan battalion of Hamas in Rafah.

The army also alleged that Hamdan played “a significant role in planning the Oct. 7 attack.”

It further claimed that it killed three other battalion squad leaders from the Palestinian resistance group in the southern Gazan city.

The Israeli military frequently states that it is targeting four battalions within the Hamas Rafah Brigade, including Khalid ibn al-Walid in the South and East Rafah, al-Shaboura in the North, and Tel al-Sultan in the West.

Israel has continued a brutal military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 95,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala