Overview
Hamas operatives whose names were not included in the Palestinian lists of fatalities in Operation Protective Edge
1. During the examination of the names of Palestinians killed in Operation Protective Edge carried out by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), 50 names of terrorists were identified, all of whom were Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operatives, who did not appear on the various Palestinian lists of fatalities issued by entities affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (for the nature of the various lists, see below).
2. In the ITIC's assessment, the dead terrorists whose names were not included on the various Palestinian lists fall into several categories: bodies of terrorists that remained in Israeli territory after clashes with IDF forces; bodies that remained buried in tunnels that were blown up or under the ruins of buildings that were attacked by the IDF; bodies of terrorists who died of their injuries in hospitals and bodies that could not be identified during the operation and when the lists were published. Therefore, the ITIC believes that the 50 names that it has identified are only a partial list and that there are still many other terrorist operatives whose names were not included on the various lists of fatalities.
3. Prominent among the fatalities whose names were not included on the various Palestinian lists are operatives who belonged to elite units of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Al-Nukhba and the naval commando). Those missing from the Palestinian lists include, among others, four operatives in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades naval commando who were killed in Israeli territory while infiltrating the area of Kibbutz Zikim by sea (July 8, 2014). Also missing from the Palestinian lists are 10 Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operatives killed in Israeli territory while infiltrating the area of Kibbutz Nir-Am (July 21, 2014). This indicates that Hamas deliberately refrains from including the names of terrorist operatives whose bodies are in Israeli hands (nearly 20) in the lists of fatalities in Operation Protective Edge. This despite the fact that in its affiliated media channels and social networks, Hamas has publicized specific information about the dead in Kibbutz Zikim and Nir-Am and the circumstances of their deaths (see Appendix A).
4. The exclusion of many names of operatives - mainly Hamas operatives - on the Palestinian lists of fatalities, and Hamas's failure to issue a comprehensive and up-to-date list of fatalities, stem from Hamas's policy of concealment, which is designed to serve the political, propaganda and lawfare campaign against Israel. On the other hand, Hamas makes internal use of the deaths of operatives whose names are not included in the various official and unofficial lists, by publishing detailed information about the dead and the circumstances of their deaths. The purpose is to please the families of the dead, glorify Hamas's military capabilities and establish the myth of the "victory" over Israel (see Appendices A and B).[1]