IDF keeps killing Hamas commanders, but their units were already defeated in Gaza - analysis

The IDF said on Tuesday that it had “struck in northern Gaza and eliminated the terrorist Izz al-Din Bik, commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade in the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization.” This is one of the several recent strikes on Hamas officers and commanders of Hamas units linked to Jabaliya, Rafah, and other areas. The northern brigade of Hamas was destroyed several times in fighting, which raises questions about the continued attacks on these commanders.

On the one hand, the continued strikes on the commanders may show that Hamas is not only reappointing new commanders, but it is rebuilding itself. Most Hamas commanders who were alive on October 7, 2023, have now been killed. The IDF has also claimed to have defeated many of these units in the past. For instance, the northern Hamas brigade, which had several battalions, was supposed to have been defeated by January 2024, and then again in late 2024 and 2025.

What did the IDF say about the recent strike? “Izz al-Din Bik had served in this position since the elimination of Ahmed Ghandour, after previously serving as the brigade’s military intelligence chief,” the military stated. “As part of his role, Izz al-Din Bik was responsible for managing the activities of the brigade’s terrorists and directing them to advance and carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians. In addition, he worked to restore the brigade’s force buildup, which had suffered severe damage throughout the war.” The IDF also noted that “the terrorist posed an immediate threat to IDF troops and Israeli civilians and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike.”

Let’s look back at some other eliminations in Gaza City and Northern Gaza. In May 2026, the IDF said it “eliminated the terrorist Imad Hassan Hussein Aslim, the Deputy Commander of the Gaza Brigade and the Commander of the Zeitoun Battalion in Hamas' Military Wing, who commanded the battalion’s terrorists' infiltration into Israeli territory during the brutal October 7th massacre.”

In July, the military said that “in northern Gaza Strip earlier this week the IDF eliminated the terrorist Raed Hani Mohammed Al-Amsi, an Aerial Surveillance Platoon commander in Hamas’ Aerial Array.” In August, the IDF “struck the Al-Shati area in the northern Gaza Strip and eliminated the terrorist Bilal Ibrahim Saleh Raqi‘i, a commander in Hamas’ military wing’s anti-tank array.”

It’s clear the IDF continues to carry out targeted strikes on Hamas in northern Gaza. This is after almost three years of war.

What has happened since the beginning of the war?

Let’s look back at what has happened in northern Gaza in the war. Hamas attacked Israel from areas such as Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, as well as near Erez and along the coast on October 7. In the wake of the attack, the IDF waited until late October to begin operations.

When the IDF did strike, it sent the 162nd Division down the coast of Gaza toward Shati and Gaza City. By mid-November, the IDF said it had defeated 10 Hamas battalions in northern Gaza, while also claiming that Hamas only had another 14 battalions left. By late March, the IDF claimed it had “dismantled” 20 of Hamas’ 24 battalions.

By April 2024, six months into the war, the IDF claimed it had eliminated 12,000 terrorists in Gaza, including five Hamas brigade commanders, 20 battalion commanders and 100 company commanders. In northern Gaza, a total of 30 commanders had been killed.

By July 2024, the last time the IDF gave a full assessment of those eliminated, the military claimed it had “eliminated terrorists: six brigade commanders, over 20 battalion commanders, and approximately 150 company commanders.”

What is the goal of these eliminations?

The question this raises is: what is the goal of the continued eliminations of Hamas commanders? Usually in war the goal is not to get to some kind of objective. The objective is reached by defeating enemy units. However, historically in war, the great commanders and great battles were often won not by eliminating every enemy commander, but rather by defeating or outmaneuvering the enemy. Sometimes in battles, the enemy would be put in such a bad position on the battlefield that they would be defeated without a major battle being fought.

This is not always the case. Hannibal often won major, bloody battles against the Romans but was unable to defeat Rome. Huge numbers of Romans died at Cannae, for instance, but Rome prevailed. Napoleon was a great commander, but even though he might outmaneuver enemies in the campaign of 1814, or others, he didn’t win the war in the end. Similarly, America’s General Stonewall Jackson was a brilliant commander, but even his genius could not bring victory.

What does history teach us in this respect? Sometimes total war and wars of attrition are necessary to sap an enemy’s strength. This was the case in the US Civil War. However, the First World War showed that mass killing on a frontline can go on for years. Vietnam taught that insurgencies can go on for decades. Winning tactical battles doesn’t always win wars.

What happens now in Gaza?

What is happening in Gaza? Hamas continues to control around forty percent of Gaza. It has lost almost all the men it fielded on October 7. It has lost almost all its commanders as well.

In many cases, Hamas unit commanders have been eliminated two or three times. Most Hamas units appear to exist on paper only. Yet, Hamas has shown in the past that even when the IDF believed units, such as those in Rafah or Jabalia, had been dismantled, they returned to fight again and again.

Hamas continues to control all the 2 million civilians in Gaza. It doesn’t have to recruit very many people to maintain a force of ten thousand or so fighters. This is the challenge today. Without separating the civilians from Hamas, so Hamas can’t recruit and arm them, it will be hard to remove Hamas.

The US-backed peace plan, created by US President Donald Trump, envisions providing civilians in Gaza with an alternative government. This would likely reduce Hamas’ ability to recruit. Until that happens, it appears Hamas will remain in Gaza and continue to recruit, and its commanders will continue to be targeted.