TEL AVIV: Israel has announced that it has killed three top Hamas leaders leaders including the head of the Hamas government. Israel Defense Forces announced that the three leaders were killed in the airstrikes in Gaza three months ago.

Taking to its official X handle, Israel Defense Forces that the following top leaders were killed in the attack in Gaza.

1. Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip
2. Sameh Al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio of the Hamas Political Bureau
3. Sami Oudeh, a commander

The Israeli military said Mushtaha was the right-hand man of senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Mushtaha was one of those who controlled the operations of Hamas. He also had a direct influence on decisions related to the deployment of Hamas forces. In 2015, Mushtaha was declared a global terrorist by the US.

According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, Mushtaha is a member of Hamas's Gaza Politburo. The council also clarified that Mushtaha oversaw Hamas' financial affairs. Israeli forces claimed that the three were killed in an airstrike in an underground facility led by Mushtaha in the northern Gaza Strip that served as a hideout for the Hamas leadership.