Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday revealed a letter from a senior Hamas commander to the terrorist group's leaders Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar in which he reported heavy losses among its ranks.
In the letter, Rafa Salama, the Khan Younis Brigade commander killed in an Israeli airstrike in July, reported that 70% of Hamas’ weapons had been destroyed, along with 95% of its rockets. He also disclosed that 50% of the group's operatives had been either killed or wounded, while many others had fled, leaving the group with only 20% of its initial strength.
“Our people, who are either physically or mentally broken, can no longer stand us. We pray to Allah for guidance. Your brother, Abu Mohammed," Salama wrote, pleading for help from the Sinwar brothers, though Gallant emphasized that Hamas’ leadership was also vulnerable, saying, "We will reach them too."
Salama, the Khan Younis Brigade commander and a close aide to Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, was responsible for planning and executing several attacks, including the 2006 kidnapping and imprisonment of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. He also orchestrated the 2005 suicide bombing at Orkhan outpost, among other attacks emanating from Khan Younis.
Salama was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July near the Mawasi displaced persons complex in Khan Younis, along with Deif. He was the third Hamas brigade commander to be eliminated since the start of the war, following Ayman Nofal, who led the Central Camps Brigade, and Ahmed Ghandour, who commanded the Northern Brigade.