Leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah Killed by Israel Following October 7 Attack

Following the surprise attack by the extremist group Hamas on southern Israel in mid-October 2023, the Israeli army launched retaliatory operations in Gaza, aiming to free Israeli hostages and deliver significant blows to Hamas. As the conflict escalated, Hezbollah, another Iranian ally, began attacks on northern Israel. These confrontations have persisted almost daily over the past year, culminating in Israeli forces entering southern Lebanon and conducting airstrikes across much of the country, including Beirut and its southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. Over the past year, particularly in the last four months, Israeli military and security forces have killed many leaders from both Iranian-backed groups, including Hassan Nasrallah, the 64-year-old cleric who had been Hezbollah's secretary-general for over three decades, and Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, leaders of Hamas's political and military wings. However, these three were not the only influential leaders from these proxy groups supported by Tehran who were killed in Israeli attacks. Both groups have lost so many key and influential figures that their reorganization and restoration of their power and authority now seem, if not impossible, at least very difficult. A brief look at some of these influential figures clarifies the current situation of these two regional arms of the Islamic Republic. Yahya Sinwar: The 62-year-old leader of Hamas's military branch in Gaza, who had effectively taken over the leadership of Hamas following the deaths of many of its leaders in recent months. Known as the mastermind behind the surprise attack on October 7, 2023, he had been hiding in Gaza's tunnels since then, leading the conflict against Israel from there. Sinwar, who spent much of his life in Israeli prisons, was eventually killed on October 17, 2024, less than two weeks after the anniversary of the attack on southern Israel, when Israeli forces shot at a building in Rafah. Hassan Nasrallah: The 64-year-old and influential secretary-general of Hezbollah Lebanon, who had held this position for 32 years. Between 1985 and 2000, he organized numerous military operations against Israeli forces in Lebanon, ultimately leading to Israel's complete withdrawal from Lebanon, a development that greatly enhanced his influence within Hezbollah and all of Lebanon. He had lived under security measures in undisclosed locations in recent years and was killed on September 27, 2024, during unprecedented heavy bombing of the Dahiyeh area in southern Beirut. Ali Abdul-Munim Karki: The commander of Hezbollah's southern front, who was mentioned as one of the successors to Ibrahim Aqil for commanding the northern front against Israel after Aqil's death. The U.S. State Department had placed him on its sanctions list in September 2019. Ali Karki was killed on September 27, 2024, alongside Hassan Nasrallah. Hashim Safi al-Din: This 60-year-old cleric and senior Hezbollah leader was mentioned as a potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah. He was also Nasrallah's cousin and was targeted in another Israeli airstrike on October 3, 2024, just six days after Nasrallah's death, and his fate remains unknown. Although his body has not yet been discovered or identified, analysts believe he has likely been killed. Nabil Qawuq: A 60-year-old cleric and one of the oldest members of Hezbollah. He was responsible for southern areas for many years and served as deputy chairman of Hezbollah's executive council while also being a member of the Amal Movement's leadership. The U.S. Treasury Department had placed him on its sanctions blacklist in October 2020. The Israeli army announced on October 8, 2024, that it had killed him. Israel identified this cleric as the commander of Hezbollah's preventive security unit and a member of its executive council. Mohammad Hossein Sarvar: The commander of Hezbollah's air unit and responsible for the group's offensive drones and precision missiles, who was killed on September 27, 2024, in an Israeli attack. Ibrahim Qabisi: A commander of Hezbollah and one of the main figures in the group's missile unit, killed on September 24, 2024, in an airstrike on Dahiyeh, Beirut. Ibrahim Aqil: The operations commander of Hezbollah and a senior leader of the group's military wing, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, Beirut, on September 20, 2024. The United States accused Ibrahim Aqil, known as 'Tahsine,' of involvement in the deadly bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut and a U.S. Marine base in 1983, attacks that resulted in the deaths of 63 and 241 people, respectively. Ahmad Wahbi: The commander of Hezbollah's special forces known as 'Rizwan,' who was killed alongside several other senior commanders of the group, including Ibrahim Aqil, in the airstrike on September 20, 2024, on Dahiyeh. Pager Explosions: On September 18 and 19, 2024, simultaneous explosions of about 5,000 pagers and radios belonging to Hezbollah members resulted in at least 32 deaths and serious injuries to over 2,800 people. It is unclear whether any prominent figures from the group were among the victims, but the psychological impact of this security incident on Hezbollah's base and its supporters in Tehran was clearly evident. Ismail Haniyeh: The 62-year-old leader of Hamas's political wing, who had been based in Doha, Qatar, and had very close relations with Iranian leaders. Haniyeh, who traveled to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, was killed on July 31, 2024, in his residence in northern Tehran. Given that the incident occurred on Iranian soil, Israel never officially claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's death. Fawad Shakir: This senior Hezbollah commander, recognized by Israel as Hassan Nasrallah's right-hand man, was killed on July 30, 2024, in an airstrike on Dahiyeh, Beirut. Fawad Shakir had been one of the recognized commanders of the group since its founding over forty years ago. The United States accused him of involvement in the 1983 attack on the Marine base, which resulted in the deaths of 241 people, and he had been under sanctions since 2015. Mohammad Deif: This 59-year-old commander of Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades had survived at least seven assassination attempts by Israel. He is said to be one of the main architects of the October 7 attack and was killed on July 13, 2024, in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis. Mohammad Nasser: A senior commander of Hezbollah and responsible for the group's operations in border areas with Israel. Israel considered him the commander of a unit that had been firing on Israeli territory from southwestern Lebanon. Mohammad Nasser was killed on July 3, 2024, in an airstrike. Talib Abdullah: A senior and operational commander of Hezbollah. He is said to be on par with Mohammad Nasser and the commander of the central wing of the group's border forces. He was killed on June 12, 2024, in an Israeli attack. Marwan Issa: 59 years old and deputy commander of Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and one of the architects of the October 7 attack on southern Israel. He was killed on March 10, 2024, during an airstrike on the tunnels beneath the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Wissam al-Tawil: 54 years old, also known as Jawad al-Tawil, was a senior commander of Hezbollah's elite Rizwan forces. He was killed on January 8, 2024, as a result of an Israeli airstrike on his vehicle in the village of Majdal Selim. At that time, Wissam Tawil was considered the highest-ranking military figure in Hezbollah killed by Israel. Khadr Ali Mahna: A senior commander of Hezbollah's Badr unit, who was targeted and killed on January 6, 2024, in the village of Kafr Kila in northwestern Syria. Six months prior, his brother Ibrahim Ali Mahna, a member of the Amal Movement, had also been killed. Saleh al-Arouri: 58 years old and deputy leader of Hamas and one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the group's military wing. He was killed on January 2, 2024, in an Israeli drone strike in Dahiyeh, southern Beirut. Ibrahim Bayari: The commander of the central wing of the Jabalia Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, overseeing the operations of these forces in northern Gaza. He was killed on October 31, 2023, less than four weeks after the war began, during a heavy Israeli attack on a residential area that resulted in at least 126 casualties. Iranian military commanders: Over the more than a year since the Gaza war began, a significant number of senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force have also been killed in the region, including: Abbas Nilfroushan, a senior Quds Force member, who was killed alongside Hassan Nasrallah; Reza Mousavi, a senior IRGC commander and coordinator of military operations between Iran and Syria, who was killed on December 25, 2023; and Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, who was killed on April 1, 2024, during an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, an incident that led to Iran's first extensive missile and drone attack on Israel twelve days later. Additionally, during the pager explosion incident, Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian ambassador, was injured. Iran has not yet disclosed the exact extent of his injuries, but some reports indicate serious eye damage to this government official. 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