Ahmed Ghandour (militant)

For other uses, see Ahmed Ghandour.

Ahmed Abu Ghandour,[1] also known as Abu Anas al-Ghandour (1967 – 14 November 2023), was a Palestinian senior militant in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. As commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade, he was a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades' General Military Council and was considered to be a close confidant of Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif. In 2017, Ghandour was designated by the United States as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. In November 2023, he was killed by an Israeli airstrike amid the Israel–Hamas war.

Biography

Ghandour was born in approximately 1967 in Jaffa, Israel.[2] Ghandour was detained in Israel between 1988 and 1994, after which he was in Palestinian Authority detention from 1995 to 2000. He was released after the outbreak of the Second Intifada. In 2002, he survived the first assassination attempt by Israel.[3]

By 2003, Ghandour was a close aide to Hamas bombmaker Adnan al-Ghoul. After an attack by Hamas militants on an Israeli tank in February 2003, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) demolished Ghandour's house in the Sheik Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. Israel believed Ghandour was responsible for planning the attack.[4]

By 2004, Ghandour was the commander of the Northern Branch of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.[3][5] In this role, he was the senior Hamas battlefield commander during the 2004 Israeli operation in the northern Gaza Strip and was involved in leading a number of operations including the 2006 Gaza cross-border raid that led to the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Ghandour was targeted for assassination again in 2012.[3]

According to the United States government, Ghandour was part of the Hamas Shura Council and Political Bureau.[2] By 2017, he was a member of the General Military Council of the brigades and was considered to be a close confidant of Muhammad Deif.[3]

The U.S. State Department designated Ghandour as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on 6 April 2017. He was the fifth senior Hamas member designated as a SDGT. In response, Hamas called the U.S. move "unethical" and held a solidarity sit-in at Ghandour's house in the Jabaliya refugee camp.[3]

The IDF killed Ghandour in an airstrike on 14 November 2023 during the Israel–Hamas war.[6][7] Three Israeli hostages—Elia Toledano, Nik Beizer, and Ron Sherman—were killed in the attack.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ Carter, Brian; Mealie, Daniel (8 December 2023). "The Order of Battle of Hamas' Izz Al Deen Al Qassem Brigades, Part 1: Northern and Central Gaza". Institute for the Study of War.
  2. ^ a b "State Department Terrorist Designation of Abu Anas al-Ghandour". U.S. State Department. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Abu Amer, Adnan (20 April 2017). "Another Hamas leader added to US terror list". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Israel Kills Top Hamas Operative". CBS News. Associated Press. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ Ravid, Barak (3 September 2005). "הנהגת החמאס עולה מהמחתרת". NRG360 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  6. ^ Gavin, Christopher (14 November 2023). "Top Hamas Commander Who Survived Two Assassination Attempts Killed in Israeli Airstrike". The Messenger. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Hamas confirms senior commanders killed in earlier Gaza fighting". Times of Israel.
  8. ^ "IDF confirms it mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza city bombing". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  9. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (10 September 2024). "Ex-hostage's mother denies IDF told her he was killed in Gaza airstrike". Retrieved 10 September 2024.
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