T he two leading Hamas commanders who helped orchestrate the surprise attack on the Gaza Strip last weekend have been killed by Israel Defense Forces, the military group claimed on Saturday.
IDF officials killed Ali Qadi, a company commander of the Hamas "Nukhba" commando force, during an airstrike on Saturday, the group said in a Telegram post over the weekend. Ali was previously apprehended in 2005 after kidnapping and killing Israeli citizens but was later released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011, during which the Hamas militant group agreed to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for more than 1,000 prisoners.
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The Israeli military also killed Merad Aby Merad in an airstrike the night before after conducting a widespread strike that targeted Hamas headquarters. Merad was the leader of the Hamas Aerial System in Gaza City and was responsible for much of the violence carried out in last week’s attack.
Neither of the deaths have been confirmed by Hamas leaders.
The reported deaths come as Israeli officials prepare to launch a ground assault against Hamas over the weekend. The Israeli military has instructed more than 1 million people located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south ahead of the anticipated attack , although it remains unclear when the assault is scheduled to happen.
United States officials negotiated a deal with Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to open up the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt for roughly five hours on Saturday to allow U.S. citizens to escape. The plan would open the Rafah border, which is the sole crossing point between Gaza and Egypt, from noon to 5 p.m. local time.
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The short window of escape has been communicated to Palestinian Americans staying in Gaza, which could cause a massive rush of people to southern Gaza in a bid to escape. However, those seeking to escape Gaza could face a perilous road as the Israeli military is expected to launch a ground offensive at some point over the weekend in a bid to dismantle Hamas.
The Rafah border has been closed off after Egyptian officials erected a cement wall barrier in the days following Israeli airstrikes, seeking to avoid a mass exodus of those seeking refuge. The mass evacuation has prompted officials from the European Union to demand the Israeli military hold off on its attack until citizens can safely leave the area, arguing the refugees need more time to escape.
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