Hamas and Hezbollah leaders have been pushed back by Israel since the Oct. 7 attack

Israel has killed several leaders of Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, the two Iran-backed groups, in Gaza and Lebanon over the past year in a war sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s cross-border raids into Jewish land on October 7 last year was triggered year.

Both Israel and Hamas confirmed that Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attack, was among three killed in Israeli firing in Gaza on Thursday. Sinwar’s death was a major blow to Hamas, which is waging a war against the Israeli military in Gaza.

Here is a detailed report on the key figures from Hamas and Hezbollah, part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” who have been killed in these operations so far:

HAMAS

1. Yahya Sinwar – One of the most significant losses for Hamas was the death of Yahya Sinwar, identified by Israeli officials as the main architect of the October 7 terrorist attack. Sinwar, a key figure in Hamas’ military operations, was killed in a battle in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Thursday.

He had a long history with Hamas, joining the group shortly after its founding in 1987 and later founding its internal security forces. After spending years in an Israeli prison, he was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Sinwar became Hamas chief after the group’s then-leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Iran in July. It was widely believed that Sinwar directed the Gaza War from the tunnels beneath Gaza.

2. Ismail Haniyeh – Another major blow to Hamas was the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political office, who was killed on July 31 during a visit to Tehran. He was head of Hamas from 2017 until his assassination.

According to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Haniyeh was killed by a short-range projectile. The explosion that killed him was a bomb that was smuggled into the guesthouse where he was staying. Hamas blamed Israel for the attack, but the Jewish nation did not accept responsibility.

Haniyeh shuttled between Turkey and Qatar, escaping gridlocked travel restrictions in the Gaza Strip and also acting as a negotiator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and as a mediator for Hamas ally Iran.

3. Mohammed Deif – A senior Hamas military commander, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 13, according to Israel. Deif was one of the key masterminds of the October 7 attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people.

Deif, who remained elusive during the Gaza war, had survived seven assassination attempts by Israel. Hamas has not yet confirmed Deif’s death.

4. Marwan Issa – Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp on March 10. He was one of the main planners of the October 7 attacks.

5. Saleh al-Arouri – Saleh al Arouri, co-founder of Hamas’ West Bank military wing and deputy political leader, was killed along with two other Hamas officials in an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in southern Beirut on December 25 last year. Al Arouri was a key mediator between Hamas and Hezbollah.

He was also the founder of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

6. Khalil Kharaz – Khalil Kharaz, deputy chief of Lebanon’s Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car carrying Hamas terrorists near Tire on November 21 last year.

Hezbollah

1. Hassan Nasrallah – Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, in a massive airstrike on the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut on September 27.

He had led the group since 1992. His death was a major blow to Hezbollah as Israel had launched relentless attacks on the group in Lebanon.

2. Ali Karaki – Ali Karaki, a top Hezbollah commander, was killed in the same airstrike that targeted Nasrallah. According to Israel, over 20 terrorists of various ranks were killed in the attack on an underground bunker.

3. Hashem Safieddine — Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said an Oct. 8 attack likely “eliminated” Hashem Safieddine, widely seen as the successor to his cousin Nasrallah.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israeli airstrikes had killed two of Nasrallah’s successors, referring to Safieddine and a second, unidentified person.

Hezbollah has not commented on the fate of Safieddine and others.

4. Fuad Shukr – Fuad Shukr, a key commander involved in numerous operations against Israel, was killed on July 30 in an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

In 2015, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Shukr, accusing him of playing a key role in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service members.

5. Nabil Kaouk and Ibrahim Qubaisi – Nabil Kaouk, a senior Hezbollah security official, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 28. However, Ibrahim Qubaisi, a commander and leading figure in Hezbollah’s missile division, died in an Israeli attack in Beirut on September 24.

6. Ibrahim Aqil – Hezbollah operations commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on September 20.

As a member of the group’s top military body, the United States had accused him of a role in the April 1983 truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, and in the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks six months later.

7. Mohammed Nasser – A senior Hezbollah commander, Mohammed Nasser, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 3. Israel claimed responsibility and said he led a unit responsible for firing on Israel from southwest Lebanon.

According to senior Lebanese security officials, Nasser was responsible for part of Hezbollah’s operations on the border.

8. Taleb Abdullah — Israel said it killed senior Hezbollah field commander Taleb Abdallah in an attack on a command and control center in southern Lebanon.

Abdullah was Hezbollah’s commander for the central region and had the same rank as Nasser.

(with inputs from Reuters)