Ahmed Ghandour (militant)

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Ahmed Abu Ghandour
Native name
أحمد أبو غندور
Birth nameAhmed Abu Ghandour
Other nameAbu Anas al-Ghandour
Bornc. 1967
Jaffa, Israel
DiedNovember 10, 2023(2023-11-10) (aged 55–56)
Gaza Strip
Cause of deathIsraeli airstrike
AllegianceFlag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg Hamas
Military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Years of service1980s–2023
RankCommander
UnitNorthern Gaza Brigade
CommandsNorthern Gaza Brigade
Known forSenior Hamas commander; close confidant of Mohammed Deif; role in 2006 Gaza cross-border raid
Conflicts
Other workMember of Hamas Shura Council and Political Bureau

Ahmed Abu Ghandour, [1] also known as Abu Anas al-Ghandour (1967 – 10 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 Mohammed 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 Gaza war.

Contents

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 commanded 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 IDF assessments, Ghandour dispatched the five Nukhba forces militants who attempted to infiltrate Israel in the 2014 Zikim attack during the 2014 Gaza war. [6] [7]

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 Mohammed 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]

Death

The IDF killed Ghandour and his deputy Wael Rajab in an airstrike on 10 November 2023 during the Gaza war. [8] [9] [10] Three Israeli hostages were also killed in the attack: Elia Toledano, Nik Beizer, and Ron Sherman. [11] [12]

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 . Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 "State Department Terrorist Designation of Abu Anas al-Ghandour". U.S. State Department. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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. ↑ Khalid, Tuqa (25 October 2023). "Israel says killed Hamas' North Khan Yunis Battalion military commander". Al-Arabiya. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Yaakov Lappin (11 December 2014). "Full footage of Zikim terrorist infiltration leaked to Palestinian media". Jerusalem Post.
  8. ↑ "Summary of the Investigation Into the Circumstances of the Deaths of the Hostages Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, and Elia Toledano". 15 September 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Hamas confirms senior commanders killed in earlier Gaza fighting". Times of Israel.
  11. ↑ "IDF confirms it mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza city bombing". The Jerusalem Post . 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  12. ↑ 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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