(TheIndependentStar.com) – In a resounding win for Israel and freedom, a founding member of Hamas has reportedly been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. The terrorist organization is responsible for a devastating weekend attack on Israel that claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people, including innocent babies.
Abd al-Fattah Dukhan, a high-ranking Hamas official known as “Abu Osama,” was targeted and killed by Israeli Defense Forces in a recent strike in the central Gaza Strip, as reported by Israel’s KAN public broadcaster, citing local Palestinian sources. The strike occurred in the Nuseirat neighborhood in the heart of Gaza.
The Israeli Defense Forces also announced the deaths of two other senior Hamas leaders, Zachariah Abu Ma’amar and Jawad Abu Shamala, in overnight airstrikes on Gaza. Abu Ma’amar was actively involved in the organization’s decision-making and planning of terrorist activities against Israel, while Abu Shamala served as Hamas’ economy minister.
Abd al-Fattah Dukhan’s historical significance lies in his role as a founding member of Hamas. He was at a pivotal meeting in 1987 when Hamas emerged as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian residing in Gaza, founded the group.
Hamas, officially known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, currently governs Gaza, a densely populated 25-mile-long strip along the Mediterranean, housing more than 2 million residents, as well as the West Bank, a larger region that includes both Palestinian and Israeli settlements under Israeli military control.
Since its inception, Hamas has maintained a stated objective of eliminating the state of Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state. The group has consistently employed terrorist tactics against Israelis, resorting to mass murder, rocket attacks, suicide bombings, and kidnappings.
Hamas assumed control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, seizing authority from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. Consequently, the United States and other Western nations officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization in 1997.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with at least 1,200 Israelis losing their lives due to Hamas attacks and an estimated 1,050 Palestinians losing their lives in retaliation. The situation remains volatile, with no immediate resolution in sight.
