All About Key Hamas Leaders, Commanders After Yahya Sinwar's Reported Death

Israel said on Thursday that Yahya Sinwar, the overall leader of Hamas and the architect of the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli soil, had been killed.

Here are some of the other leaders and commanders in Hamas.

MARWAN ISSA

In March, Israel said it had killed Marwan Issa, the deputy of Hamas' then military leader Mohammed Deif, but Hamas has not confirmed his death. Deif was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July.

Issa, nicknamed the "shadow man" by fellow Palestinians for his ability to stay off the enemy's radar, had risen to No. 3 within the Islamist operator group. He and the other two top Hamas leaders formed a secretive three-man military council that made strategic decisions.

KHALED MESHAAL

Meshaal, 68, previously led Hamas between 2004 and 2017. He became known around the world in 1997 when Israeli agents injected him with a poison in the Jordanian capital Amman in a botched assassination mission. He is now based in Qatar with several other senior Hamas officials.

MOHAMMAD SINWAR

The brother of Yahya Sinwar, he is one of the most senior, veteran commanders of the armed wing of Hamas. Born on September 15, 1975, he has rarely appeared in public or spoken to the media.

Mohammad Sinwar, like his brother, has been one of the top targets on Israel's wanted list and, according to Hamas sources, has survived several Israeli attempts on his life, including airstrikes and roadside-bomb attacks. The sources said the last attempt on his life, until the latest Gaza war, was in 2021.

KHALIL AL-HAYYA

Hayya was Sinwar's deputy and had recently been leading the Hamas team in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel under the supervision of Haniyeh. Hayya was in the same residence when Haniyeh was struck by a short-range projectile, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, in Tehran, but not in the same apartment at the time of the strike. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that the explosion that killed Haniyeh was from a bomb.

In 2007, an Israeli strike hit the house of his extended family, killing several relatives and in 2014 an attack on his house killed his eldest son.

MAHMOUD AL-ZAHAR

Zahar was a surgeon by profession. Friends and enemies used to call him "General" for his hardline views towards Israel and other opponents of Hamas.

Zahar has made no public statement or appearance since October 7 and his fate remains unknown.

The 79-year-old official survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2003. He served as the first Hamas-appointed minister of foreign affairs after the group assumed power in Gaza in 2007 in a brief civil war with the secular Palestinian Authority, a year after it swept a parliamentary election.

MOHAMMAD SHABANA

Shabana, better known as Abu Anas Shabana, is one of the remaining top and veteran armed commanders of Hamas, heading its battalion in Rafah in the south.

Hamas sources said Shabana played a significant role in developing the network of tunnels in Rafah, which were used to attack Israeli troops along the border, including a cross-border attack in 2006 in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured.

Shabana took charge of the Rafah battalion after Israel killed three main commanders of the group during a 50-day war in 2014, during which the Islamist faction said it had abducted two Israeli soldiers.

RAWHI MUSHTAHA

Mushtaha was Sinwar's confidant and strongest ally within Hamas. Together with Sinwar, Mushtaha founded the first Hamas security apparatus in the late 1980s that was responsible for tracking and killing Palestinians accused of spying for Israel.

He was released from an Israeli prison with Sinwar in 2011 and has recently been tasked with coordinating between the group in Gaza and Egyptian security officials over a range of issues including the operation of the Rafah border crossing.

Israel said on October 3 Mushtaha had been killed in a strike in Gaza three months earlier. Hamas never confirmed or denied and Mushtaha's fate remains unclear.

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100-Year-Old Jimmy Carter Casts Historic Vote For Kamala Harris

Former US President Jimmy Carter, who recently turned a hundred, announced that he is voting for Kamala Harris and that is what he really cares about, dismissing his age-related milestone moment as "just another birthday".

"He said he didn't care about that. It's just a birthday. He said he cared about voting for Kamala Harris." James Earl "Chip" Carter III said in an interview to The Washington Post.

That is 100-year-old Jimmy Carter, the oldest ex-president who served in office from 1977 to 1981, during the Cold War era. Chip Carter also added that his father spent his days watching speeches from the Democratic National Convention. "He thought Michelle Obama was the best, and he thought Kamala was great, too," he said.

'I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,' Carter told his son Chip, his grandson Jason Carter told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Donald Trump has always been of the opinion that Jimmy Carter was "the worst president", however more recently he said, "Joe Biden is the worst president in the history of our country, worse than Jimmy Carter by a long shot."

Georgia - one of the seven key swing states is critical to the November election as Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020 by a hair's breadth - less than 1 percent of the vote in the state, and Carter's family said he can't wait to cast his mail-in ballot for Harris. Furthermore, he does not believe Donald Trump should be president again, Chip Carter said.

Although a 100-year-old exercising his rights might seem touching and inspiring, users on X have varying opinions regarding the centenarian ex-prez casting his vote and the photo has been widely shared on social media. One user commented, "This is crazy. I have some dead relatives I can dig up and take to vote for Trump if this is what we're doing now."

While another said, "Did he actually vote or was it a family member that did it for him? Does anyone know if he's even of sound mind and was capable of making his own decision?" Another user condemned the entire episode, saying, "Shame on the Democrats for wheeling him out in that state."

Shame on the Democrats for wheeling him out in that state.

— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) October 15, 2024

On the flipside, there were users who also celebrated the gesture, "Carter's vote serves as a reminder that in American politics, age doesn't necessarily diminish one's sense of duty or the desire to shape the future. Ok? Ok."

Ah, Jimmy Carter casting his vote for Kamala Harris as early voting opens—quite the symbolic gesture, don't you see? The former president, now 99, is still deeply engaged in the political landscape, driven not by the prospect of his own milestone birthday, but by the opportunity…

— L. Ron Hubbard (Parody) (@FakeLRonHubbard) October 15, 2024

One of the most important questions that arises with this particular instance is whether the state will count Carter's ballot if he fails to make it till November 5th. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in such cases, most states haven't delineated what to do. Clearly such votes will likely not be numerous enough to sway the results of an election.

According to his son who spoke to the Journal-Constitution, Carter is very "interested in politics and the war in Gaza".

"After my grandmother passed, he had a pretty long low period when he wasn't really engaging much at all," The Washington Post quoted Jason Carter, his eldest grandchild. "But now he's talking about politics again."

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Fake Social Media Posts Claim India Becoming Permanent Member Of UNSC

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended and addressed the 79th UN General Assembly Session in New York last month, multiple social media users have shared posts claiming that India had secured a permanent seat in the UN Security Council with veto power.

The PTI Fact Check Desk found the claim to be false. India is yet to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As of now, only five countries — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — are permanent members of the UNSC and have veto power.

A Facebook user, in his post on October 2, wrote: "Congratulations "India got veto power" 180 countries of the world supported India, China's protest cooled down, India's decades old dream came true. This is - Modi's India's superpower. It is possible only if Modi is there." To check the veracity of the claim, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search on Google. However, our search did not yield any credible reports supporting this claim. Had any such development taken place, it would have grabbed the headlines across global media, particularly in India.

The PTI Fact Check Desk then scanned the official website of the United Nations, which clearly mentioned that only five countries – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – are permanent members of the UNSC.

The UNSC is composed of five permanent member nations along with ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the United Nations General Assembly.

Currently, Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland are the 10 non-permanent members of the UNSC.

India has argued for decades that it deserves to be a member of the UNSC. It last sat at the UN high table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22. While several countries, including the US, the UK, Russia, France, Portugal and several other countries have backed India's permanent membership bid, China has been stonewalling India's efforts with its veto power in the UNSC. From our investigation, it is clear that India is neither a permanent member of the UN Security Council nor holds veto power. The social media posts were shared with a fake claim.

For verification or truth of any claim viral on social media, contact PTI Fact Check Desk's WhatsApp number 91-8130503759.

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India At UN Condemns Pak's "Unsubstantiated Allegations" Regarding J&K

India exercised its right of reply against Pakistan at the Joint General Debate on decolonization at the United Nations on Monday. Counsellor Eldos Mathew Punnoose from India condemned Pakistan's "unsubstantiated allegations" regarding the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

He emphasised the need for Pakistan to cease its ongoing human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Targeting Pakistan, he said, "Unsubstantiated allegations by Pakistan largely pertain to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. India would like to reiterate that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, were and will be an integral and inalienable part of India. Clearly, Pakistan does not merit a response on the internal affairs of India."

He further said, "At this juncture, we also advise Pakistan to stop the grave and ongoing human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh (PoJKL). The world is witness to the divisive activities that Pakistan tries to undertake day in and day out. India would like to stress that our foundations are built on the enduring pillar of democratic values, unlike Pakistan's."

Stepping up his criticism of Pakistan, he said that the nation is familiar with sham elections, incarceration of opposition leaders, and suppression of political voices.

"Given their tainted democratic record, Pakistan considers real democratic exercises as a sham, as reflected in their statement. All countries speak from their experience. Sham elections, incarceration of opposition leaders and suppression of political voices are what Pakistan is familiar with," Punnoos said.

"It is natural that Pakistan must be disappointed to see real democracy at work. It was only last week that election results were announced in Jammu and Kashmir. Millions of voters in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have spoken. They exercised their right to vote and have chosen their leadership according to the Constitutional framework and universal adult suffrage. Clearly, these terms must be alien to Pakistan," he added.

He further criticised Pakistan by highlighting the country's notorious reputation for supporting terrorism and engaging in transnational crimes. "It is ironic that a country which is infamous across the globe for state-sponsored terrorism and transnational crimes cast aspersions on the world's largest democracy. It has been Pakistan's consistent state policy to employ cross-border terrorism as a weapon against its neighbours," Punnoos added.

He also said that Pakistan has been implicated in several attacks, including the attack on the Indian Parliament. "The list of attacks orchestrated by Pakistan is indeed long. In India, they have targeted our Parliament, market places and pilgrimage routes, among several others. Normal Indian citizens have been victims of such dastardly and inhumane acts by Pakistan," Punnoos said.

He also compared India and Pakistan, praising the former for its "pluralism, diversity and democracy," and highlighting the latter's "terrorism, parochialism and persecution."

Punnoos said, "India symbolises pluralism, diversity and democracy. In contrast, Pakistan reminds the world of terrorism, parochialism and persecution. Religious and ethnic minorities and their places of worship are targeted and vandalised on a regular basis. It is important for Pakistan to first look inward and set own house in order instead of meddling in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries."

He added, "Pakistan's obsession with India and their past practice corroborate that they will continue to use this august forum for spreading their malicious propaganda against my country. They will exercise their right of reply but I shall refrain from responding to it... As such, facts speak for themselves. Lies are lies, even if they are repeated over and over by Pakistan."

Meanwhile, Punnoose emphasised India's pivotal role in the global struggle against colonialism, highlighting the country's unwavering commitment to freedom.

He said, "India has been a global champion and leading voice in the struggle against colonialism. In 1962, India was also elected as the first chair of the Decolonisation Committee, a committee of 24, which was established to monitor the implementation of the 1960 Declaration on Granting of Independence to colonial countries and peoples and consider applications in this regard. Since the establishment of the Decolonisation Committee, India has been actively contributing towards its functioning. We have also been working constructively on the decolonisation agenda..."

Notably, Pakistan regularly brings up the Jammu and Kashmir issue at UN platforms and other international forums, irrespective of the agenda of the meetings.

India has repeatedly rejected Pakistan's attempts to raise the Kashmir issue on international platforms, asserting that the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh are "integral parts of India" and Pakistan has no "locus standi" to make statements regarding India's domestic matters.

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Kremlin Condemns NATO's Nuclear Drills, Cites Escalation Amid Ukraine War

The Kremlin said that NATO's annual nuclear exercise involving nuclear-capable military aircraft, which began on Monday, was fuelling tensions in light of the "hot war" unfolding in Ukraine.

NATO was due to begin its annual "Steadfast Noon" nuclear exercise on Monday, the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday, something he cast as a powerful display of deterrence capabilities against a backdrop of heightened nuclear rhetoric from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

F-35A fighter jets and B-52 bombers will be among some 60 aircraft from 13 nations taking part in the exercise, hosted by Belgium and The Netherlands, NATO officials said.

"In the conditions of a hot war, which is going on within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said it was also impossible to hold nuclear arms talks with the U.S., something Washington has signalled it is open to, because Western nuclear powers were involved in the conflict against Russia and any security talks would therefore need to be much broader in scope.

U.S. President Joe Biden said after the award of the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a movement of Japanese survivors of the U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two, that the U.S. was ready to engage in talks with Russia, China and North Korea without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat.

"In the context of the war that is being waged against Russia with the indirect and even direct involvement of nuclear powers such as the United States, Great Britain and France, it is absolutely impossible to talk about this without linking the issue to all other aspects of security," said Peskov.

"In fact, our president has already spoken about this. Russia considers such contacts necessary and they cannot be postponed, but we must consider all security issues as a whole, taking into account the current state of affairs."

Peskov dismissed a statement from Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, who said earlier on Monday that Russian forces would be in a position to attack NATO territory by the end of this decade at the latest.

"Russia has never moved with its military infrastructure towards NATO, it has always been the other way round," said Peskov.

"To say therefore that it is the Russian armed forces that pose a danger to anyone is absolutely wrong, illogical, and, most importantly, contradicts the entire course of history, which has led to the confrontation that we are now all experiencing together."

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Taliban Introduces Law Banning Media Publishing Images Of Living Things

Afghanistan's Taliban morality ministry pledged Monday to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced.

It comes after the Taliban government recently announced legislation formalising their strict interpretations of Islamic law that have been imposed since they swept to power in 2021.

"The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually," the spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP, adding that officials would work to persuade people that images of living things are against Islamic law.

"Coercion has no place in the implementation of the law," he said.

"It's only advice, and convincing people these things are really contrary to sharia (law) and must be avoided."

The new law detailed several rules for news media, including banning the publication of images of all living things and ordering outlets not to mock or humiliate Islam, or contradict Islamic law.

Aspects of the new law have not yet been strictly enforced.

Taliban officials continue to regularly post photos of people on social media.

"Until now, regarding the articles of the law related to media, there are ongoing efforts in many provinces to implement it but that has not started in all provinces," Khyber said.

He added "work has started" in the southern Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and the neighbouring Helmand province, as well as northern Takhar.

Journalists Summoned

Journalists in Kandahar told AFP on Monday they had not received any statement from the ministry or been stopped by morality police for taking photos and videos.

In central Ghazni province on Sunday, PVPV officials summoned local journalists and told them the morality police would start gradually implementing the law.

They advised visual journalists to take photos from further away and film fewer events "to get in the habit", a journalist who did not want to give his name for fear of reprisal told AFP.

Reporters in Maidan Wardak province were also told the rules would be implemented gradually in a similar meeting.

Television and pictures of living things were banned across the country under the previous Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, but a similar edict has so far not been broadly imposed since their return to power.

When the Taliban authorities seized control of the country after a two-decade-long insurgency against foreign-backed governments, Afghanistan had 8,400 media employees.

Only 5,100 remain in the profession, including 560 women, according to media industry sources.

Afghanistan has also slipped from 122nd place to 178th out of 180 countries in a press freedom ranking compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

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Man With Shotgun And Loaded Handgun Arrested Near Trump's California Rally

A man found illegally in possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun was arrested by sheriff's deputies assigned to protect a Donald Trump rally in Coachella, California, the Riverside County sheriff's office announced Sunday.

The Secret Service said that it was aware of the arrest and that neither Trump nor rally attendees had not been in any danger during the incident, which took place on Saturday.

"While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing," the organization tasked with protecting presidents and presidential candidates said in a joint statement with the FBI and the US Attorney's office.

The sheriff's team said the man, which it identified as 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas, was later released on bail and faces a court hearing on January 2.

They added that the deputies, manning a checkpoint near the rally, arrested Miller as he drove up in a black SUV.

They later booked him at a local detention center on charges of possessing a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine.

The incident comes on the heels of two assassination attempts -- one in Pennsylvania in which a bullet grazed Trump's ear, and a second, aborted attempt at his Florida golf course.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco -- a Trump supporter who also addressed the Republican's rally in Coachella on Saturday -- said that there was "absolutely no way that any of us are going to truly know what was in his head."

"If you're asking me right now, I probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt," Bianco, a former member of the far-right Oath Keepers group, told a press conference.

Bianco said the man had "multiple" passports and IDs with different names in his vehicle, which was unregistered. He said any further charges would come from federal authorities.

There was no immediate comment from the Trump campaign.

Trump's decision to hold a rally in California surprised political analysts, who note that the state is heavily Democratic, but he drew a large crowd, even in temperatures near 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).

Coachella is known for its annual music festival.

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