Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Wednesday night, according to the Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency. The strike targeted Jabaliya, with several others also wounded, as confirmed by medical sources.
Al-Qanou, a prominent media figure for Hamas, had served as the group’s spokesperson since 2016. He was previously the media director for Hamas in northern Gaza. Born in Jabaliya on April 24, 1981, he held a doctorate in preaching and media, obtained from the University of Tripoli in Lebanon in 2019. Al-Qanou had been involved with Hamas since the Second Intifada in 2000.
His death follows that of other senior Hamas officials, including Ismail Barhoum and Salah al-Bardaweel, who were also killed in recent airstrikes. According to Hamas sources, 11 members of its 20-member political office have been killed since the war began in late 2023.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not yet commented on al-Qanou’s reported death, but since the resumption of fighting last week, the IDF has reportedly killed 150 Hamas militants, including 10 senior officials, and continues operations in several key Gaza areas.
