Several Hamas, Hezbollah leaders have been assassinated by Israel during recent military operations and airstrikes.
Israel announced the death of Yahya Sinwar on October 17, 2024. He was the brain behind the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that initiated the Israel-Hamas war.
This follows recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon that resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking Hezbollah leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah. Since the beginning of the current conflict, multiple leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah, along with other militants, have been killed.
Here’s a list of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders who have been killed in the ongoing conflict;
Hamas leaders
Yahya Sinwar: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza. He was motivated by a strong opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and a deep commitment to Hamas’s Islamist ideology.
Ismail Haniyeh: Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31 during a visit to Tehran. He had been leading Hamas since 2017. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported that he was killed by a short-range projectile.
Saleh al-Arouri: An Israeli drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut killed Saleh al-Arouri, deputy Hamas chief, on January 2, 2024. Arouri was also the founder of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Marwan Issa: Marwan Issa, deputy military commander of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli strike in March, according to the Israeli military. He had been among Israel’s most-wanted, alongside Deif and Sinwar.
Mohammed Deif: Hamas leader Mohammed Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike on August 1. He had been on Israel’s kill list since at least the early 2000s.
Fatah Sharif: The Israeli military reported on September 30, 2024, that it had “eliminated” Hamas leader Sharif in Lebanon, continuing its campaign against Iran-backed militant groups in the neighboring country.
Hezbollah leaders
Hassan Nasrallah: Lebanon’s Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel announced it had killed on September 28, 2024, led Hezbollah through decades of conflict with Israel. He oversaw its transformation into a powerful military force with regional influence, supported by Iran, and became one of the most known Arab figures of recent generations.
Ali Karaki: One of Hezbollah’s top commanders, Ali Karaki was killed in the airstrike that also assassinated Nasrallah. The Israeli military stated that more than 20 militants of various ranks were killed in the strike on an underground bunker.
Nabil Kaouk: Kaouk, who died in an airstrike on September 28, 2024, served as the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council.
Mohammed Srur: Srur led Hezbollah’s drone unit, marking its debut in the ongoing conflict with Israel. Under his command, Hezbollah deployed explosive and reconnaissance drones deep into Israeli territory, successfully breaching defense systems that had primarily concentrated on the group’s rockets and missiles.
Ibrahim Qubaisi: He was the head of Hezbollah’s missile unit. According to the Israeli military, Qubaisi orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli soldiers at the northern border in 2000, with their bodies being returned in a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah four years later.
Ibrahim Aqil: Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah operations commander who was killed in an Israeli strike on September 20, 2024, had a $7 million bounty on him for his involvement in the 1983 truck bombings in Beirut that resulted in over 300 deaths at the American embassy and a U.S. Marines barracks.
Ahmed Mahmud Wahbi: Ahmed Wahbi, a senior commander who directed the military operations of the Radwan special forces until early 2024, was also killed in an Israeli strike that targeted several high-ranking commanders in the Beirut suburbs on September 20, including Ibrahim Aqil.
Fuad Shukr: An Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30 resulted in the death of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top commander. Shukr had been one of the organization’s leading military figures since its founding by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982.
Mohammed Nasser: Mohammed Nasser was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 3. Israel took responsibility, stating that he led a unit firing at Israel from southwestern Lebanon. Nasser, a senior Hezbollah commander, oversaw a segment of Hezbollah’s operations along the border, according to senior Lebanese security sources.
Taleb Abdallah: Senior Hezbollah field commander Taleb Abdallah was killed on June 12 in a strike claimed by Israel, which stated it had targeted a command and control center in southern Lebanon. Lebanese security sources indicated that he was Hezbollah’s commander for the central region of the southern border and held a rank equivalent to Nasser’s.