Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
@GabrielEpsteinX
Apr 14 • 6 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
Today, Hamas identified Mustafa Kamal Abdulqader Bakir (ID#: 800707911, age 36), a cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated al-Aqsa TV outlet, as a member of its military media and a commander in the Rafah Brigade’s Artillery Battalion. Bakir was killed in a Nov 2023 airstrike. 🧵 Image

Image
Image
Bakir is listed as a slain journalist/media worker by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, the Hamas-run Government Media Office, and other trackers. Image
Image
Image
Image
The Hamas obituary video shows Bakir working with several types of rockets and in his media role. Some sections of the video are of a much younger Bakir, possibly from 2014 while others were shot recently. According to relatives, Bakir was injured in the 2008-2009 Israel-Hamas war, but it isn't clear if that was as part of combat or not.

As far as I'm aware, this is the first clear evidence that Bakir was a militant.Image
Image
Image
Image
Links:
t.me/AqmarTofan/464
t.me/AqmarTofan/465
cpj.org/data/people/mo…
Other militants pictured in the video (clockwise from top left):

Rafah Brigade Commander Raed al-Attar (killed in 2014)

Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammed Mahmoud Saad Shabana (age 54, killed in May 2025 alongside Mohammed Sinwar in a strike on a tunnel under the European Hospital in Khan Younis)

Mohammed Zaki Mohammed Fahjan, another commander in the artillery battalion (ID#: 801043548, age 38, killed in November 2023)

Mohammed Bassem Ahmed al-Jamal, another member of the Rafah Brigade's military media and a journalist for Palestine Now (ID#: 801215336, age 35, killed in April 2024)Image
Image
Image
Image
I wrote about al-Jamal last month:

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Gabriel Epstein

Gabriel Epstein Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @GabrielEpsteinX

Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
May 7
On May 6, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published another set of 17 of their slain commanders in Gaza, bringing the total identified since February to 292. This set includes journalists, health and education workers, and police and internal security personnel. 🧵 Image
PIJ confirmed prior reporting first done by @MiddleEastBuka that Mohammed al-Saeed Ismail Abu Sakhil (ID#: 803231604, age 32), a journalist for the Sawt al-Quds Radio station, was a platoon commander in PIJ’s Financial Administration Unit in the Gaza Brigade. Both Sakhil and his brother (another journalist) were killed in fighting in and near Shifa Hospital in March-April 2024. x.com/GabrielEpstein…Image
Image
Mohammed Abdulnasser Mohammed al-Masri (ID#: 802443788, age 33), a teacher and the husband of journalist Salam Khalil Mohammed Mayma (ID#: 802820001, age 32), was a commander in PIJ’s Central Coordination Unit in the Northern Brigade. Both al-Masri and Mayma, along with their three children, were killed in an October 2023 airstrike. More detail on their case is here: x.com/GabrielEpstein…
Read 10 tweets
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
May 6
The likely target of an Oct 10, 2023 airstrike in Gaza that killed journalist Salam Khalil Mohammed Mayma (ID#: 802820001, age 32): her husband, PIJ commander Mohammed Abdulnasser Mohammed al-Masri (ID#: 802443788, age 33). 🧵 Image
Image
Today, PIJ claimed al-Masri as a commander in its Central Coordination Unit in the Northern Brigade. al-Masri was also a teacher at multiple schools, including a stretch at the Adnan al-Alami Secondary School for Boys in al-Shati neighborhood in Gaza City. al-Masri and Mayma reportedly wed in 2015.Image
Image
Image
Salam Khalil Mayma is included on the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Federation of Journalists, and the Hamas-run Government Media Office’s list of slain journalists in Gaza, as well as outside trackers.
Mayma was the head of the Women Journalists Committee at the Palestinian Media Assembly, which CPJ identified as a PIJ-affiliated body. CPJ lists her as a freelance journalist, while IFJ identifies her as a reporter for the PIJ-affiliated al-Quds Radio.Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
Apr 22
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) identified 43 more slain commanders, totaling 209 announcements in the past 2 months. Most of this tranche are platoon-level commanders and were killed in the first year of the war. The list includes 6 workers for the Hamas-run government. 🧵 Image
Ahmed Jamal Khaled al-Bahtini (ID#: 801485285, age 37), the deputy commander of PIJ’s Darj al-Tuffah Battalion in the Gaza Brigade, was killed in an October 2023 airstrike. The extended al-Bahtini family is prominent in PIJ: Khalil Salah al-Bahtini was the group’s military leader in northern Gaza and was killed during the May 2023 Israel-PIJ conflict.Image
Image

Image
Ahmed Mohammed Hussein Abu al-Qumsan (ID#: 801250820, age 35), the deputy commander of PIJ’s al-Radwan and al-Nasser Battalion in the Gaza Brigade, was killed in an October 2024 airstrike. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 9 tweets
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
Apr 20
Last week, a new U.N. Women report claimed that more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, or 47 per day. This is a speculative projection based on a projection, not a data point, and was widely misreported. 🧵 Image
Image
An initial problem is that the press release for the U.N. Women Advocacy Brief “The Cost of War in Gaza on Women and Girls” and the report itself say two different things: the press release (L) presents the 38,000 figure as fact while the report (R) is clear that it is an estimate, not a count.Image
Image
News articles about the report, not surprisingly, largely use the incorrect framing of the press release. That’s a disservice to readers, and a failure both of U.N. Women to match the press release and report and of media organizations to check the details. Image
Read 17 tweets
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
Apr 6
Ahmed Fathi Musleh Abu Ghali (ID#: 802316729, age 34), a commander in Hamas' Mohammed Abu Harb (al-Shaboura) Battalion in the Rafah Brigade killed in April 2025, was recently memorialized by the group. Ahmed's brother, journalist Zakaria Fathi Abu Ghali, was a PIJ commander. 🧵 Image

Image
Zakaria Fathi Abu Ghali was identified by PIJ as a commander in its military media unit in February 2026.
Ahmed and Zakaria, pictured at center and left respectively in this 2020 picture, illustrate that even members of the same family unit may join different militant groups. While family names may be prominently associated with one armed group or another (like al-Najjar with Hamas), individual members often go their own way.Image
Read 5 tweets
Gabriel Epstein Profile picture
Apr 5
Tariq Omar Salama Maarouf (ID#: 410136378, age 50), brother of Salama Maarouf, head of the Hamas-run Government Media Office (a key vector of Hamas’ propaganda effort), was a commander in Hamas’ Darj al-Tuffah Battalion in the Gaza Brigade. He was killed in Oct 2023. 🧵 Image

Image
Tariq Maarouf was killed alongside Rifaat Mahmoud Issa Abbas (ID#: 901472274, age 45) and Ibrahim Mahmoud Ibrahim Jadba (ID#: 931643811, age 41), respectively the commander and deputy commander of the Darj al-Tuffah Battalion, in an October 26, 2023 airstrike. Hamas' obituary announcement does not specify Maarouf’s role beyond calling him a commander, while the IDF claimed he was the battalion’s combat support commander.Image
Image
Image
Image
At the time, the Hamas-Government Media Office (GMO) issued a statement mourning Tariq Maarouf as a “mujahid commander” and clearly identifying him as GMO head Salama Maarouf’s brother. The GMO has frequently served as a generator or amplifier of some of Hamas’ more outlandish claims.Image
Image
Read 9 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(