The footage, which surfaced in Palestinian Arab media on Wednesday, shows Hussein Fayyad, the commander of the Hamas Beit Hanoun Battalion, walking through the rubble in Gaza while speaking of Hamas’s supposed “victory.” This video directly contradicts claims made by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in May, which stated that Fayyad had been eliminated during an operation in Gaza.
In the video, Fayyad discusses Hamas’s strength in resisting Israeli forces, saying, "When the strong doesn't achieve its goals, it is defeated; but the weak, which prevented the strong from achieving its goals - it is the victor." This rhetoric aligns with Hamas’s narrative of resilience against Israel despite the ongoing destruction in Gaza.
Fayyad was reportedly a key figure in launching a significant number of anti-tank missiles and mortar fire aimed at Israeli territories throughout the conflict. The IDF had stated that Fayyad was eliminated "during special operational activity in an underground area." His supposed death was a part of the IDF's broader campaign to target Hamas leadership, but the video raises doubts about the accuracy of this claim.
This incident echoes a previous case involving Mahmoud Hamdan, the commander of Hamas's Tel a-Sultan Battalion in Rafah. The IDF had reported his elimination, only for Hamdan to later be seen alive and accompanying Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. These incidents highlight the challenges of accurately tracking and reporting on the status of key figures within militant groups like Hamas, particularly in the chaotic environment of active conflict.
The recent footage of Fayyad further complicates the narrative of Hamas leadership losses and raises questions about the reliability of military reports from both sides in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
This also comes amid bizarre claims that Hassan Nasrallah managed to escape from his bunker before his elimination.
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