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Who’s next on Israel’s hit list? – explainer
Since the beginning of the current Israel-Hamas war, on October 7, Israel has aimed to eliminate senior Hamas officials, regardless of their location, as part of its campaign to destroy the group’s military capabilities.
Yahya Ayyash, often referred to as “The Engineer” due to his expertise in bomb-making, was a prominent figure in Hamas and a key target for Israeli security forces in the mid-1990s. Ayyash was responsible for designing explosive devices used in a series of deadly attacks against Israeli targets. Israel’s pursuit of Ayyash culminated in January 1996, when he was assassinated in a targeted operation.
Another high-profile action was the January 2010 killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas military commander, in Dubai. The operation was widely attributed to the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, though Israel never officially confirmed its involvement. Al-Mabhouh was a founding member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and was believed to be involved in arms smuggling and coordinating attacks against Israel. The assassination, carried out in a Dubai hotel room, drew significant international attention due to its complexity and the use of forged passports, leading to a diplomatic fallout and increased scrutiny of Israel’s covert operations abroad.
On January 2, 2024, Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas, was assassinated in a presumed Israeli strike in Lebanon, marking the most prominent targeted killing of a Hamas leader since the beginning of the war on October 7. Arouri, a key figure in Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel and responsible for expanding Hamas’ activities in the West Bank, was killed alongside six others, including high-ranking Hamas operatives. This attack, in the Dahieh neighborhood, a predominantly Shia Muslim suburb south of Beirut, took place in the context of broader regional tensions, including the escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian proxy group in Lebanon.
The question on many minds now: Who’s next in the crosshairs?
Despite the advance of Israeli military forces into Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ chief in the Gaza Strip, remains unlocated and among Israel’s most wanted individuals.
Last year, during a rally in Gaza, Sinwar delivered a speech in which he explicitly said Hamas would launch rockets into Israel, signaling a powerful strike. He declared, “We will come to you with an endless number of rockets. We will come to you in a flood of soldiers without limits.”
Sinwar, ascended to power as the leader of Hamas after serving 22 years in Israeli prisons for the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians. He was released from prison in 2011 as part of the deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
He is suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Since then, Israel apparently remains unaware of his whereabouts.
Sinwar’s younger brother Mohammed Sinwar, born in 1975 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, is a key figure in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the Gaza Strip. His military involvement began in 1991, and he rose to prominence as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Yunis brigade in 2005. Notably, he participated in the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006, leading to a significant prisoner exchange in 2011.
Mohammed Sinwar has survived six Israeli assassination attempts, the latest being in May 2021. Contrary to reports of his death in the 2014 Israel-Gaza War, Sinwar was later found to have been hiding in Gaza’s tunnel networks. In 2023, Israeli intelligence identified him as one of the masterminds behind the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. As a result, Israel has placed him high on its list of targets in the military operation in Gaza, offering a $300,000 bounty for information on his whereabouts. His close relationship with his brother, Yahya Sinwar, further underscores his influential role in the organization.
Another target for Israel is Khaled Mashal, a former chairman of the Hamas political bureau. On September 25, 1997, Mossad agents, under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attempted to assassinate Mashal in Amman, Jordan. The agents used fake Canadian passports and a device delivering a fast-acting poison. After Mashal’s condition worsened, Jordan’s King Hussein demanded the antidote from Israel, threatening diplomatic fallout. US President Bill Clinton intervened, and the antidote was delivered, saving Mashal’s life. The incident led to the arrest and later release of several Mossad agents and release of Palestinian prisoners.
Mashal currently resides in Qatar, where he actively advocates for Palestinian “resistance” against Israeli forces. Since the onset of the current conflict, he has encouraged boycotts and the involvement of neighboring countries in the war against Israel.
A complicating factor is that Qatar has helped mediate the Israel-Hamas conflict by facilitating hostage exchanges for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Mashal is not the only Hamas leader residing in Qatar; Ismail Haniyeh, also wanted by Israeli authorities, is in Qatar as well.
Haniyeh not only serves as the chairman of the armed group’s political bureau and was previously the Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip but is also the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA). PA President Mahmoud Abbas removed him from this position in 2007.
Haniyeh recently traveled to Egypt to discuss with officials the provision of humanitarian aid to Gazan residents and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Mohammed Deif, born Mohammed al-Masri in 1965 in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza, is the notorious head of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Deif, a key figure in Hamas since 1987, orchestrated several high-profile attacks against Israel, including the 1996 Jaffa Road bus bombings. Elevated to lead the Brigades in 2002, he has significantly advanced their military capabilities.
Deif played a pivotal role in the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which initiated the current Israel-Hamas war. This attack, part of his “above and below” strategy, combined rocket assaults and tunnel warfare, demonstrating his influence in Hamas’ military tactics.
Surviving seven Israeli assassination attempts since 1995, Deif has been a prime target due to his role in attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. His resilience, despite personal losses including family members in a 2014 airstrike, and international designation as a terrorist by the United States and the European Union, have made him a prominent Palestinian “resistance” figure and a likely candidate for future targeted Israeli operations.
Marwan Issa, also born in 1965 in the Gaza Strip, is the deputy commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Known as the “Shadow Man” or Abu Baraa, Issa has been a key figure in Hamas, particularly in planning the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. He was detained by Israel during the First Intifada and later by the Palestinian Authority but was released after the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
Issa became the head of the Qassam Brigades in central Gaza’s refugee camps and has been targeted, but survived, Israeli assassination attempts, notably in 2006. Rarely seen in public until 2011, he was part of the negotiating team for the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. His home was bombed in 2014 and 2021.
As Mohammed Deif’s right-hand man and a key member of Hamas’ secretive military council, Issa is one of Israel’s most wanted armed fighters. The US designated him as a terrorist in 2019, and the European Union followed suit in 2023, linking him directly to the 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel now faces the challenge of potentially targeting Hamas officials in other Middle Eastern countries without causing political tensions with neighboring Arab nations.
And following the assassination of Arouri, Israel may face a backlash from Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who warned, “If the enemy [Israel] thinks of waging a war on Lebanon, we will fight without restraints, without rules, without limits, and without restrictions. They know what I mean.”
Lana Ikelan is a recent graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday put him at odds with the IDF regarding how many haredi the military can absorb in a short amount of time.
Netanyahu said that while he was in favor of increasing haredi integration into the IDF, in practicality, the military needed more time to establish haredi-tailored programs and environments for this to be successful.
The prime minister’s remark comes days after top IDF officials presented a series of highly specific, customized programs for the ultra-Orthodox that are either already open or are “ready to go” as soon as the haredi respond to their military summons. This directly contradicts the prime minister’s words during the briefing.
Netanyahu spoke to the committee in a closed and classified hearing, but portions of what he said were, nevertheless, publicized, including his comments regarding haredi integration into the IDF.
When asked about the issue, Netanyahu said, “We would prefer that anyone who is not studying [in a yeshiva] share the burden [of military service.] But right now, there is a gap between what the army says it can absorb and what it can absorb, so the absorption capacity of the IDF needs to be increased.”
He added that there were intentions to create new frameworks that would allow the haredi to maintain their way of life as well as to respond to operational needs, such as establishing an ultra-Orthodox base along the border with Jordan that would be responsible for defense there.
How to fulfill the IDF’s need for more soldiers
Besides that example, Netanyahu said that the army’s need for more soldiers could be filled by extending the service of mandatory service soldiers as well as calling up a variety of reservists from among the population living in border communities who never responded to their call-ups or were given exemptions.
In contrast to Netanyahu’s statements, seeming to indicate that the IDF cannot absorb a significant increase of haredi men, the military has said repeatedly, dating back to August, that it has been ready to receive an additional 3,000 haredi per year, on top of the approximately 1,800 per year it has already been absorbing.
The announcement in August and the sending of summons to 3,000 members of the ultra-Orthodox community came after months of extensive work and the investment of significant resources to prepare both personnel and bases for a new, major influx.
One new option for service that the IDF has already added for the haredi to make their service more attractive is serving in technical and logistical capacities at hardened aircraft shelters at an air force base section where only men will serve.
Another new option is called the Yoav Track in logistics command centers, which includes fulfilling a wide variety of technical and logistic roles throughout the military, and not just in the Israel Air Force.
Also, though Netanyahu said that the IDF should look into forming a new haredi brigade, the military had already announced last week that on December 26, it would open one, distinct from Netzach Yehuda.
Netzach Yehuda had been the brigade that most of the haredi wanted to join to date. However, it has turned off many of the ultra-orthodox because it has a reputation for being more religious Zionist in nature than haredi.
Additionally, there is a recently established unit of haredi serving at the Ofer detention center, and that program is expected to grow.
Further, a Lt.-Col. with a hassidic Chabad background, who has joined the army. He will be focused on haredi affairs and making sure new inductees are comfortable and are having their needs addressed.
Despite a detailed presentation last week about all of these new service mediums as being already established for haredim, a spokesperson for Netanyahu doubled down on the claim that the IDF was still lacking in its capacity to absorb a major influx of haredi soldiers.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
British rocker Paul Weller, Scottish band Primal Scream, and Irish rappers Kneecap will headline a ‘Gig For Gaza’ charity show at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on Dec. 13.
Weller, the former frontman for 1970s punk pioneers The Jam, is curating the show, with all proceeds going to organizations Medical Aid For Palestinians and Gaza Forever, which purportedly provide essential aid – including food, medical supplies, and emergency shelter – for Gazans who have been forced to flee their homes due to the Israel-Hamas War.
“This is an opportunity to enjoy a night of powerful music and make a tangible difference in the lives of people facing unimaginable hardship,” a press release for the show said. The concert will also feature guest speakers and short films.
Weller of Primal Scream performed with Palestinian flag
During a recent tour of the US, Weller, a longtime advocate for leftwing causes, performed with a Palestinian flag draped over his guitar amplifier. Speaking onstage from Glasgow, Scotland, last month, Weller said, “I would like to dedicate that last song to all the tens of thousands of women, children, babies, men, civilians in Palestine and Gaza. I would ask you one question. It’s really simple. There is no grey area. Are you for genocide, or are you against it? It’s a f–-king yes or no question…”
Over the summer, Primal Scream, which formed in the 1980s, gave their support for a jersey design for a Palestinian refugee football team based on their classic record ‘Screamadelica.’
In March, Kneecap withdrew from performing at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, after it was revealed that the US Army was a “super sponsor” of the event as well as defense contractor RTX Corporation.
“It is done in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies,” the group explained of their decision via Instagram. “This will have a significant financial impact on Kneecap… but it isn’t an iota of hardship when compared with the suffering being inflicted on the people of Gaza.
None of the artists appearing nor promo material for the concert mentioned the 101 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, nor the October 7 massacre that killed over 1,200 Israelis and sparked the current war aimed at toppling Hamas.
David Brinn contributed to this report.
Support for a two-state solution in the Middle East among Arab Americans and Palestinians residing in the West Bank and Gaza is on the rise, according to two recent surveys.
The more recent survey from YouGov and Arab News was published on Tuesday. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) published the other in September.
A survey of Arab Americans leading up to the US presidential elections found that half of those polled (50%) believed in seeking a two-state solution.
The poll touched upon the future of the conflict and possible resolutions to see its conclusion. Half of Arab-Americans polled believed in seeking a two-state solution with shared governance over Jerusalem. 34% believe that there should be one state where Israelis and Palestinians have equal rights, and 9% stated that they were unsure.A separate poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in September found that support for the concept of the two-state solution among Palestinians continues to rise and has the support of 39% of those polled.
According to PSR, three months prior, support for two states stood at around 32%. Figures were taken from Gaza and the West Bank, at 39% and 38%, respectively.
However, when asked about a separate Palestinian state not linked to the “two-state solution” and when state borders are identified as those of 1967, support rises to 59%, PSR found.
Half of the respondents prefer the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, while 19% prefer a confederation between the two states of Palestine and Israel. Only 10% prefer establishing a single state with equality between Israelis and Palestinians.
When asked about solving the conflict and reaching statehood, nearly half of Palestinian respondents (48%) said they would choose “armed struggle” as a way to achieve it (50% in the West Bank, 36% in Gaza).
However, a third said they preferred negotiations to end the conflict, and 15% said they would like to see popular peaceful resistance.
International calls for two-states
Recent US administrations and other global actors have called for the end to the ongoing war and to reach a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Biden administration has attempted to broker a hostage and ceasefire deal as a first step. In remarks made ahead of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in September, US President Joe Biden reiterated his support for a two-state solution.
“As we look ahead, we must also address the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank and set the conditions for a better future, including a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own,” Biden said.
The survey conducted by Arab News and YouGov was conducted using a sample of 500 Arab Americans across the United States from September 26 to October 1, 2024. The survey data have a margin of error of +/- 5.93%.
The poll conducted by PSR comprised a sample size of 1,200 people, of whom 790 were interviewed face-to-face in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza. The margin of error stood at +/-3.5%.
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