Tel Aviv, December 31: A senior operative of Hamas, who was the Brigade commander of al-Qassim Brigade, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The Hamas commander, identified as Abdul Fattah Amin Maali. was killed on Saturday Maali was the right-hand man of Yahya Ayyash, one of the founders of the al-Qassim Brigades and an expert bomb maker. Hamas Commander Eliminated: IDF, Shin Bet Kill Taysir Mubashir in Joint Operation in Gaza Strip

Yahya Ayyash was the brain behind several suicide bombings carried out by Hamas in the nineties. Ayyash was the chief bomb maker of Hamas and was assassinated by Israel intelligence in 1996. Hamas Battalion Commander Eliminated: Israel Defence Forces Claims It Killed Mustafa Dalul During Overnight Combat Operations

Abdul Fattah Amin Maali was jailed in Israel for terror attacks and after release from prison had been commanding the al-Qassim Brigades which was responsible for the October 7 attacks on Israel leading to the massacre of 1,200 people.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2023 09:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).