Decades of Targeted Assassinations – A Timeline of Hamas Leaders Killed by Israel

Since the establishment of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas in December 1987, Israeli forces have systematically targeted its leaders. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

This list highlights the long history of targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders by Israeli forces, spanning from the early 1990s to the present day.

Since the establishment of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas in December 1987, Israeli forces have systematically targeted its leaders, both politically and militarily, in assassination operations both within and outside Palestine. 

Below is a chronological overview of the key Hamas figures who have been assassinated or targeted by Israel.

This list highlights the long history of targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders by Israeli forces, spanning from the early 1990s to the present day.

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On November 24, 1993, Emad Aql, at the age of 22, was surrounded by Israeli forces with 60 armored vehicles in the Shejaiyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. He and his comrades engaged in a firefight before he was killed by an anti-tank shell.

On January 5, 1996, Yahya Ayyash, a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated by an explosive device hidden in a mobile phone, detonated remotely by Israeli forces during a call with his father.

On July 31, 2001, Jamal Salim and Jamal Mansour were killed by a missile strike from an Israeli Apache helicopter targeting their office in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.

On July 23, 2002, Salah Shehadeh, founder and first commander of Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an airstrike by an F-16 jet that destroyed an entire residential block, killing 13 people, including his wife and daughter.

On March 8, 2003, Ibrahim al-Maqadmeh, a Hamas political bureau member and military leader, was killed when an Israeli Apache helicopter fired five missiles at his car, killing him and three of his companions, in Gaza City.

On August 21, 2003, Ismail Abu Shanab, a prominent Hamas leader, was assassinated by Israeli forces when Apache helicopters fired missiles at his car, also killing his two assistants, in Gaza City.

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On March 22, 2004, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, was assassinated by an Israeli Apache helicopter that fired missiles at him while he was returning from dawn prayers, in Gaza City. He was 68 years old.

On April 17, 2004, Abdul Aziz al-Rantisi, a senior Hamas leader, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his car in Gaza City, two weeks after taking over as leader of Hamas following Yassin’s assassination.

On September 26, 2004, Ezz El-Din Sheikh Khalil was killed in Damascus by a car bomb planted by Mossad agents, who had infiltrated Syria through Iraq.

On October 21, 2004, Adnan al-Ghoul an explosives expert, was killed in an airstrike on his car in Gaza, after surviving multiple previous assassination attempts.

On January 1, 2009, Nizar Rayyan was killed along with 15 members of his family, including his wives and children, when an Israeli airstrike destroyed his home during Operation Cast Lead, in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.

On January 15, 2009, Saeed Siam, Hamas’ interior minister, was killed in an airstrike on his brother’s house during the final days of Operation Cast Lead.

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On January 19, 2010, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas military commander, was assassinated in a Dubai hotel, reportedly by Mossad agents.

On November 14, 2012, Ahmed al-Jaabari, a senior Hamas military leader, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his car, marking the start of Operation Pillar of Defense.

On April 21, 2018, Fadi al-Batsh, an electrical engineer and drone expert for Hamas, was assassinated by gunmen in Malaysia, believed to be Mossad operatives.

On November 21, 2023, Khalil Kharaz, deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing in Lebanon, was killed by an Israeli drone strike along with three companions in Tyre, Lebanon.

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On October 18, 2023, Jamila al-Shanti, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in an airstrike on her home, becoming the third member of the political bureau to be killed since the start of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation.

On October 17, 2023, Ayman Nofal Ayman Nofal, a senior Hamas commander, was killed in an airstrike during the Battle of Tufan Al-Aqsa. He was involved in the 2006 capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

On January 2, 2024, Saleh al-Arouri deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in an Israeli drone attack on a Hamas office in Beirut.

On July 31, 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, was assassinated in an Israeli raid on his residence in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

(PC, AJA)

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