Hamas fighters killed in Gaza strikes, including Sinwar’s personal guard: Israeli army

The Israeli army said Thursday that it had killed two Palestinians in separate strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming both were members of Hamas and that one had served as a personal guard to slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the army said it had carried out a Monday strike in Khan Younis that killed Rizq Suhail and Suleiman Abu Shahma.

It claimed Abu Shahma was a member of an elite unit of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and had served as a personal guard to Sinwar.

Sinwar headed Hamas’ political bureau and led the group in the Gaza Strip before being killed in a confrontation with Israeli forces in the city of Rafah in October 2024.

The army also said it had killed another Palestinian, Hazem Mousa, in a separate strike in Khan Younis on Sunday, claiming he too was a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades’ elite unit.

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The army alleged that both Abu Shahma and Mousa had taken part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on an Israeli military base at Re’im.

The Israeli army further claimed the two men had been planning fresh attacks on Israeli forces and were attempting to “rebuild Hamas’ capabilities.”

It did not provide any evidence to substantiate its claims, to which Hamas has yet to respond.

Since a US-brokered ceasefire ostensibly came into effect last October, Israeli attacks have killed 1,303 Palestinians and injured 4,336 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, it has killed more than 73,400 Palestinians — and injured over 174,400 — across the embattled coastal enclave.

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