Tel Aviv – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Wednesday the elimination of Mahmoud al-Aswad, the head of Hamas’ General Security Apparatus for West Gaza. According to the military’s statement, the Israeli Air Force targeted and killed al-Aswad last Friday in Gaza, reports 24brussels.
The IDF characterized al-Aswad as a crucial figure and a significant source of intelligence for Hamas. The military has been operating on the fringes of Gaza City and in Khan Younis, aiming to dismantle both above and underground terrorist infrastructure, while also focusing on Hamas fighters.
In the wake of Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023, the IDF has intensified military operations against Hamas leaders and combatants.
How many senior Hamas leaders have been killed so far?
Reports indicate that over 20 senior Hamas military and political leaders have been eliminated between October 2023 and August 2025.
One key operation involved the death of Yahya Sinwar, a prominent Hamas leader in Gaza, who was killed by Israeli forces on October 16, 2024, during a confrontation in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF claimed Sinwar was shot during an engagement that aimed to target a group of Hamas fighters.
Moreover, on May 13, 2025, Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas’s acting military chief in Gaza and the brother of Yahya Sinwar, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike. Both the IDF and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the death, emphasizing the significance of the loss to Hamas’s military command.
Additionally, in March 2025, Salah al-Bardawil, a Hamas political bureau member, was reportedly killed in similar Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza. The violence in that area signifies an escalation of hostilities and the continued targeting of Hamas’s political leadership.
