In air strikes

Israeli army: High-ranking Hamas members killed

Israeli airstrike on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip(Bild: AFP)

According to its own statement, Israel's army has killed three high-ranking members of the Islamist Hamas during air strikes in the Gaza Strip. They were representatives of the leadership in the city of Rafah, the military announced on Wednesday. The men were killed in airstrikes.

Hamas has not yet confirmed the deaths of the three men. According to the Israeli army, the Hamas members were in charge of the terrorist organization's so-called emergency office, which is responsible for public order in the Gaza Strip, among other things. They are also said to have coordinated local activities of the Islamist organization. The information could not initially be independently verified.

Just last week, another high-ranking Hamas member is said to have been killed. This man is said to have led Islamist operations in the area. This information could not be independently verified either. As a rule, Hamas does not comment on members who are killed.

Israel's army(Bild: AFP)

Air raid on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip(Bild: AFP)

Delegation to Washington agrees
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on 7 October in Israel near the border with the coastal strip. According to Hamas, more than 31,923 people have been killed and a further 74,096 injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. On Wednesday, the Hamas health authority announced that 104 more people had been killed and 162 injured within just 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in talks with US President Joe Biden to send a delegation to Washington next week. There, the White House wants to present alternatives to a new ground offensive in Rafah (see video above). On the other hand, the US government is not opposed to targeted operations against the Hamas leadership.