Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, according to Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency on Wednesday night.
Al-Qanou, one of Hamas’s most prominent media figures, was targeted in Jabaliya, as reported by the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television. Several others were wounded in the attack, medical sources confirmed.
Al-Qanou had been a key spokesperson for Hamas since 2016, previously serving as the media director for Hamas’s offices in northern Gaza. Born in Jabaliya on April 24, 1981, he pursued higher education at the Islamic University of Gaza and obtained a doctorate in preaching and media from the University of Tripoli in Lebanon in 2019. He had been affiliated with Hamas since the Second Intifada in 2000.
His reported killing follows the recent deaths of senior Hamas figures Ismail Barhoum and Salah al-Bardaweel, both members of Hamas’s 20-member political office. According to Hamas sources, 11 of these officials have been killed since the war began in late 2023.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has yet to comment on al-Qanou’s reported elimination. However, since the resumption of fighting last week, the IDF has reportedly killed 150 Hamas militants, including 10 senior officials. Israeli forces have continued operations in several key areas of Gaza, including Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun.
