Hamas confirms death of Mahmoud Hamdan, personal bodyguard to Yahya Sinwar

Hamas and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) both confirmed on Friday the death of Mahmoud Hamdan, also known as Abu Yousef, the personal bodyguard of senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Hamdan was killed during an armed confrontation with the IOF in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Hamas stated that Hamdan, who also served as the commander of the Tal Al-Sultan battalion, was martyred alongside Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza.

The IOF reported that Hamdan had been responsible for protecting Sinwar and was eliminated during a confrontation with the IOF.

According to "Israeli" intelligence, initial assessments suggested Hamdan may have been killed weeks earlier. Those reports were later proven inaccurate, allowing him to continue as Sinwar's bodyguard.

Hamdan’s death occurred approximately 200m from the site where Sinwar was killed.