Hunt for the leadership

Netanyahu on Hamas: “They are all dead men!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for the killing of all Hamas leaders.(Bild: AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his intention to lead the country to "absolute victory" in the war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In a video message, he emphasized that the leadership in particular should be wiped out.

"On the way to victory, we have already eliminated Hamas' number four," Netanyahu said on Monday. "Number three, two and one are on their way," he added. "They are all dead men, we will get them all."

By number four in the Hamas hierarchy, the Israeli head of government was probably referring to top Hamas official Saleh al-Aruri, who was killed in an airstrike on his premises in the Lebanese capital Beirut at the beginning of January.

The targeted killing was attributed to Israel at the time, which has not yet commented on it. With Netanyahu's video message, Israel is likely to have admitted authorship of the attack for the first time.

Another Hamas leader killed?
Al-Aruri was responsible within Hamas for maintaining close relations with the pro-Iranian Shia militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. He was therefore also of central importance for the procurement of weapons for the Islamists in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu's comments came a few hours after Israeli media reported on the possible killing of the third highest-ranking Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, Marwan Issa.

According to the report, the Israeli air force bombed a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday night, where Issa was said to have been staying at the time. The Israeli forces are still investigating whether the top Hamas man was actually among the victims of the airstrike.

The hunt for Yahya Sinwar
Netanyahu used the numbers one and two to designate the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, and the head of the Kassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif.