Hamas acknowledged on Friday that it has suffered “very painful and distressing” losses following the release of a drone video by the Israeli military showing the final moments of a key figure’s life.
The video shows the individual, who was wounded, throwing a wooden board at a drone that was surveying damage inside a building targeted in Rafah, according to IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. The individual was later found dead with a gun and nearly $11,000 in his possession, he added.
“Yes it’s very painful and distressing to lose beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders like ours, but what we are sure of is that we are eventually victorious; this is the outcome for all people who fought for their liberty,” senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Friday.
“It seems that Israel believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people. They can believe what they want, and this is not the first time they said that,” he continued.
Naim added that despite the past killings of Hamas’ founders the first commander of its military wing, the terrorist group “each time became stronger and more popular, and these leaders became an icon for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine.”
“Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated,” he also said.
had said Thursday following the announcement of the individual’s death in the southern Gaza Strip that “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza” and “this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny.”
An Israel Army Radio report said Thursday that the individual was killed during a battle with Israeli soldiers.
The soldiers had spotted suspected individuals in Gaza and opened fire before the individuals fled into a building, according to the report. It added that a tank then fired a shell at the building, causing it to collapse.
When the soldiers went inside to examine the aftermath, they found three bodies — one of which ultimately was identified as the individual.