Palestinian media released on Wednesday footage showing Hamas commander Hussein Fayyad attending a funeral in northern Gaza, raising questions about an IDF claim that he had been killed in May during a strike in Jabaliya.
In May, the military announced that Fayyad, the commander of Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion, had been eliminated. The IDF said that Fayyad was responsible for planning and executing multiple anti-tank missile operations targeting Israeli territory during the war, as well as for mortar fire directed at Israeli communities in Gaza's northern border region.
The release of the footage has prompted speculation about whether Fayyad survived the strike or if reports of his death were inaccurate. The IDF has yet to respond to the footage or address the apparent contradiction.