Reuters Report on 'Three Hamas Commanders' Israel is 'Determined to Kill'

Reuters describes an analytical report detailing a poster installed on the wall of Yoav Galant's office, Israel's Defense Minister; it features images of hundreds of Hamas militant commanders arranged in a pyramid shape. At the bottom of this pyramid are the field commanders of Hamas. The top of the pyramid includes the high command, notably Mohammed Deif, the mastermind behind the October 7 attack on Israel, known as the shadow man. The faces of the slain commanders are marked with an 'X'. According to the report, Deif, the head of Hamas's military branch, Marwan Issa, the second in command, and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, are the three men at the top of Israel's list to be killed. Sinwar, 61, and Deif and Issa, both 58, form a three-member military council at the helm of Hamas that designed and executed the October 7 attack, which was the deadliest in Israel's 75-year history, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and around 240 hostages taken. The United States, Britain, the European Union, Israel, and several other countries have designated the Iran-backed Hamas militant group as a terrorist organization. Reuters, citing three unnamed Hamas sources, reported that these three leaders likely direct Hamas's military operations from Gaza's tunnels and lead negotiations for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israel for hostages. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have stated that the destruction of Hamas's military capabilities and ending the group's control over Gaza, the release of hostages, and ensuring that Israel is never again threatened by a repeat of the October 7 attack are Israel's objectives. To achieve these goals, the elimination of Hamas's leadership is deemed essential. Two military experts told Reuters that killing Sinwar, Deif, and Issa would give Israel the opportunity to claim a significant symbolic victory. However, achieving this goal would be long and costly, with no guarantee of success. Kobi Michael, a former head of the Palestinian desk at Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, noted that there is strong public support in Israel for continuing the war, as Hamas is seen as part of a regional axis backed by the Islamic Republic that poses a direct threat to Israel's survival. All three Hamas leaders have evaded multiple Israeli attempts to kill them. Deif, in particular, has lived in hiding after surviving seven assassination attempts before 2021, which cost him an eye and left him with serious leg injuries. Hamas sources indicated that unlike Deif and Issa, Sinwar often appeared at public rallies and, fearing Israeli tracking, no longer uses any electronic devices. Issa may be the least known among the three, but he has played a significant role in many of Hamas's important decisions in recent years, and according to Hamas sources cited by Reuters, he would replace one of the others if they were killed or captured. All three were born into Palestinian refugee families and have spent years in Israeli prisons.