Israel claims it killed three Hamas commanders in airstrike months ago

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it killed a senior Hamas leader in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip some three months ago.

A strike on an underground compound in northern Gaza killed Rawhi Mushtaha and two other Hamas commanders, Sameh Siraj and Sameh Oudeh, the IDF claimed.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas on Israel's claims.

Israel says the three commanders had taken refuge in a fortified underground compound in northern Gaza that served as a command and control centre.

It said Mushtaha was a close associate of Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas who helped mastermind the 7 October attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war.

Sinwar is believed to be alive and hiding inside Gaza.

Meanwhile, the conflict in the region continued to escalate as Iran struck northern Israel with missiles on Tuesday evening, and Israel added ground operations to its bombardment of Lebanon.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says a new wave of humanitarian crisis and refugee influx is imminent.