The IDF named the Hamas company commander eliminated earlier in Khan Yunis as Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Hamdan, Israeli officials said. Hamdan, the grandson of a Hamas founder, oversaw the brigade's propaganda operations and was directly involved in holding Israeli hostages and staging hostage release ceremonies used as psychological warfare, according to Israeli officials.
The IDF has identified the Hamas company commander eliminated earlier today in Khan Yunis as Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Hamdan, the grandson of the movement's founder, Israeli officials said Friday evening. The confirmation, issued at 19:02 Jerusalem, details his role: he oversaw the brigade's propaganda operations and was directly involved in holding Israeli hostages and staging the release ceremonies used as psychological warfare.
The identification resolves a thread of conflicting reports that began at 15:00 Jerusalem, when Israeli media outlet N12 named the eliminated commander as Nitzan Shapira, citing his role as a deputy to Muhammad Deif. By 15:00 Jerusalem, the IDF and Shin Bet had issued a statement confirming the elimination of a company commander in the Khan Yunis area but withheld the name, noting only that the commander held hostages and served as a deputy to senior leaders. The Zioneer reported that statement at 16:26 Jerusalem. Separately, on July 16, Palestinian sources had told N12 that the commander was the grandson of a founding member of Hamas, a detail The Zioneer reported at the time. The IDF's new statement now provides the full name and specifies his role in the hostage enterprise.
The elimination is part of the ongoing Israeli campaign to target Hamas operatives involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks and the subsequent hostage crisis. As The Zioneer reported on July 3, the IDF similarly confirmed the elimination of Muhammad Naim Jundiya, a Shujaiya Battalion commander who held three hostages and participated in release ceremonies. The military has also targeted senior commanders in the Rafah Brigade and other Hamas military structures.
The IDF's confirmation now provides a definitive name, replacing the earlier unconfirmed reports. The specific date and circumstances of the elimination were not detailed in the military's statement.
4 developments
- StrongHamas media commander killed in Khan Younis identified as grandson of founding member, son-in-law of former commander
- DevelopingIDF names two Hamas operatives killed last week: Oct. 7 infiltrator and tunnel chief
- DevelopingIDF drone strike kills Hamas battalion commander in Khan Younis, second operative
- StrongIDF confirms killing of Islamic Jihad weapons-production commander in Khan Younis
Source and signal
- Internal intake