Hamas' acknowledgement that IDF eliminated two of their key field commanders - Ahmed al-Ghandour, commander of the northern Gaza brigade, and Ayman Siam, commander of the Hamas rocket array - is a major admission of the depth and scope of the blow the IDF has dealt the terrorist organization in the last month of fighting.
Shai Levy, military correspondent for the Mako news site, notes that al-Ghandour was a particularly extreme commander who refused to even heed orders from his superior to cease fire and who was involved in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. Al-Ghandour was also responsible for coordinating the fighting of local forces in villages, cities, and other areas.
His death means that two of Hamas' three brigade commanders, specifically for the central and northern Strip, are now dead, leaving only the commander of the Gaza City Brigade, as well as two sub-brigades in Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Hamas' command structure is still holding up, though, even if shaken.
Amid Bohbot, military commentator for Walla News, meanwhile noted that the strike and its confirmation point to the IDF being able to trace even the most senior commanders underground and reach them there, suggesting that Israel's intelligence penetration is deeper than previously thought.
Bohbot believes that as the ceasefire continues, Hamas will spend the time trying to get into contact with its troops and commanders, including removal and burial of bodies, which means more confirmations of IDF kills from the other side are likely.
