Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah just over a year after the war started [Getty]
Al Jazeera has aired unseen footage of slain Hamas leaders in Gaza during Israel’s 15-month war in the Palestinian territory, and revelations about Hamas’ preceding October 2023 attack.
The rare footage was broadcast on Friday during an episode of an investigative programme by Al Jazeera, where the network interviews member of Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades.
The episode was titled “The Flood,” in reference to the October 7 operation dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood” by Hamas.
The Hamas members give details on the group’s preparations for the 7 October 2023 attack in southern Israel which would trigger the Gaza war. The episode shares footage of three Hamas seniors in an operations room allegedly discussing plans and when to execute the attack, including Mohammed al-Deif, head of the Al-Qassam Brigades.
Deif, whose face was blurred in the video, is seen outlining Hamas’ plan to storm into southern Israel, saying it would be historic. He is said to be the architect of the attack.
Israel claims it killed Deif in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis in July last year, although Hamas denies he is dead.
Footage of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is also shown. He is shown walking through a heavily damaged building, covering himself with a blanket.
In another clip he is seen wearing a military vest, also covered in a blanket, and addresses Hamas fighters to “boost their morale”.
Sinwar, another mastermind of the 7 October attack, was killed by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza Strip area of Rafah on 16 October last year. Israel released footage of Sinwar’s last moments on the battlefield, which many observers say backfired and instead portrayed him as a hero for his supporters.
The Al Jazeera report also contains a previously unseen interview with Al-Qassam Brigades Gaza City commander Ezzedine al-Haddad.
In the interview, Haddad, his face also blurred, says Israel would “have no choice but to yield to our demands” during ceasefire negotiations, adding that the timing of Hamas’ attack was restricted to only a few people.
He claims that Israel was planning a war on the Gaza Strip even before the 7 October attack, and that Hamas’ incursion in southern Israel was a pre-emptive strike.
The Hamas-led attack on Israel left around 1,200 people dead, with around 251 others captured and taken to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. It is unclear how many of that number were killed by Israeli forces.
Hamas says its attack was in response to decades of Israeli occupation and aggression against the Palestinians, including the siege on Gaza since 2007.
The group says its aim was to pressure Israel into freeing Palestinian detainees in its prisons and lifting the blockade.
Many in Israel have slammed the government, military and intelligence agency for failing to prevent the attack.
Israel’s war on Gaza killed more than 47,000 people, mostly civilians, and many more are believed to still be beneath the rubble. It has rendered much of the Palestinian territory uninhabitable and battered its healthcare sector, with dozens of children dying of malnutrition and hypothermia due to a lack of aid access.
A ceasefire deal which came into effect on 19 January will see Hamas and Israel exchange remaining captives for Palestinian detainees over phases, as well as end to hostilities and gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and rebuilding the coastal enclave.
