The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), mourns the martyrdom of leaders Samir Fendi and Azzam Akra, who were targeted and killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Tuesday alongside their comrade Saleh al-Arouri. They shared al-Arouri's mission to resist occupation, a cause they dedicated their lives to, ultimately meeting the same fate of martyrdom.
Hamas mourned the loss of Fendi and Akra, two military leaders who played significant roles in organizing the movement's efforts outside Palestinian territories, along with four other individuals. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, squarely placed the responsibility for the consequences of the assassination on Israel.
Fendi, also known as Abu Amer, was responsible for Hamas's military operations in southern Lebanon. An Israeli channel reported in July that Israel's Shin Bet security agency had listed him as a target for assassination.
Akra, a former prisoner and one of those expelled to Marj al-Zuhur, was in charge of the movement's military dossier abroad. His name surfaced in the Israeli media in October 2022, when he was alleged to have met with a recently released Palestinian detainee abroad to plan an infiltration of the Israeli telecommunications network, Cellcom.
In addition to al-Arouri, Fendi, and Akra, the Israeli operation also claimed the lives of other Hamas members: Mahmoud Shahin, Mohammed Bshashe, Mohammed Ris, and Ahmed Hamoud.
Al-Arouri is recognized as one of the founders of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, starting the formation of the movement's military nucleus in the West Bank between 1991 and 1992.
The incident has been met with widespread condemnation from various Palestinian factions. Protests denouncing the assassination have taken place in several cities in the occupied West Bank, as well as in some Arab countries.
The assassination in Beirut comes at a time when the southern border of Lebanon has been experiencing daily confrontations and shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli army since October 8th, resulting in the death and injury of dozens on both sides of the border.
