Israel takes out half of Hamas’ battalion commanders — including one caught on eerie video in tunnel

 Israel’s army has killed half of Hamas’ battalion commanders since the war in Gaza began — including one caught on eerie video roaming the terror group’s tunnel network before his death, Israel said Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamim Netanyahu reaffirmed his nation’s goal to eradicate Hamas when speaking to reporters — and claimed that the terrorist group has already lost about a dozen leaders of its estimated 24 battalions fighting in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.

“We are settling accounts with all those who kidnapped, participated, murdered, slaughtered, raped and burned the daughters of our people,” Netanyahu said. “We will not forget, and we will not forgive.”

The prime minister’s comments came as the Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency revealed that at least five Hamas leaders were killed in a recent airstrike in northern Gaza.

Documents and photographs seized from Hamas revealed that a tunnel destroyed by the missile strike was harboring five top officials, including Ahmed Jandor, the commander of Hamas’s northern brigade, and his deputy, Wael Rajab.

Jandor and Rajab, who led Hamas’ second-largest brigade, could be seen in one photo taken months ago enjoying food and meeting with several other Hamas leaders inside a narrow room in the tunnels.

The IDF said Jandor was “responsible for the direction and management of all Hamas terrorist activities in the northern Gaza Strip.”

A video seized from Hamas and released by the IDF on Tuesday also shows Rajab walking through one of the corridors of Hamas’ 300-mile underground tunnel network.

Rajab could be seen silently walking with members down the narrow, arched corridor with a flashlight in hand and solemn look on his face.

Along with Jandor and Rajab, the airstrike killed the leader of the brigade’s aid battalion, the head of military formation and the officer responsible for observations in the north, Israel said.

The IDF noted that the operation that killed the northern leaders was repeated to kill six other top officials across Gaza, including the commanders of the battalions in Beit Lahia, Jabaliya, Sabra, Shati, Darj Tapah and Shejaiya.

With the Israeli military expanding its military operations to all of Gaza, Netanyahu declared that the IDF should retain control over the disarmament of Gaza when the war concludes, as it is the only force capable of doing so.

“No international force can be responsible for that,” he said. “We saw what happened to other places where international forces were brought for disarmament purposes.” 

It is not the first time the prime minister touted his nation as the one to have sole responsibility over peacekeeping efforts in Gaza, telling ABC News last month that Israel should have a wide-encompassing hold over Gaza for an “indefinite period” of time.

Netanyahu reiterated Tuesday that Israel would not accept any other arrangement that would see another foreign power lead Gaza’s demilitarization.