The Israeli army announced yesterday that it had killed the bodyguard of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The army reported that Mahmoud Hamdan was eliminated during a clash with Israeli forces in the city of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the Israeli military, he was killed just 200 meters away from the location where Sinwar was killed on Wednesday. Hamdan served as the commander of Hamas’s battalion in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah and was acting as Sinwar’s personal bodyguard at a house in Tel Sultan shortly before Sinwar’s death.
Following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military launched extensive operations in Gaza, resulting in intense conflict and widespread displacement. The hostilities have included targeted airstrikes aimed at high-profile leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. Notable among these was the killing of Yahya Sinwar, a key figure in Hamas, during a targeted Israeli raid in Rafah. Sinwar, known for planning the October 7 attack, had evaded Israeli forces until his death in 2024.
Israel’s operations have also extended beyond Gaza. In recent months, Israel conducted strikes in Lebanon, targeting leaders of Hezbollah, including Hasan Nasrallah and other senior commanders. These actions have contributed to escalating tensions across the region, with Hezbollah responding through retaliatory strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border, intensifying fears of a broader conflict.
The targeted killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders reflect Israel’s strategy to weaken these groups’ operational capacities. However, these actions have also heightened risks of further regional instability, as both Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed continued resistance in response to the strikes
