Israel-Hamas war: Hamas says northern brigade commander, 4 other leaders killed

Hamas said on Sunday (Nov 26) that the commander of its northern brigade and four other senior leaders were killed during the Israeli offensive. In a statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said that the northern brigade commander Ahmed Al-Ghandour was part of the Hamas' military council. According to a report by the news agency AFP, Ghandour had been jailed in Israel twice and reportedly lost two of his sons in Israeli airstrikes during the current war.

In 2017, Ghandour was put on a US economic sanctions blacklist as a "global terrorist." The US State Department said he had been involved in "many terrorist operations" including a 2006 attack on an Israeli military post at the Kerem Shalom border crossing which killed two soldiers and wounded four others.

The attack resulted in the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held by Hamas till 2011 and was released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel kills 8 in West Bank

The above development comes as the Palestinian health ministry said earlier on Sunday that Israeli troops killed eight Palestinians over 24 hours in the occupied West Bank.

The ministry said that five people were killed by Israeli army fire in Jenin during an incursion by a large number of armoured vehicles into the city. The other three victims were a 25-year-old doctor who was killed outside his home in Qabatiya on Saturday, a person killed in El-Bireh, and another killed during an Israeli army raid on a village south of Nablus.

Hamas set to release third group of hostages

Hamas is set to release the third group of hostages on Sunday as a shaky truce between the Palestinian militant group and Israel will soon end. On Saturday night, Hamas freed 13 Israelis and four Thai hostages in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners who were in Israeli jails.

Hamas has released 26 Israeli hostages in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners in the two releases already completed.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had received a further list of hostages due to be released by Hamas on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)