IDF and Shin Bet Eliminate Six Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives in Gaza Airstrikes

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet announced Wednesday that six operatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Army of Islam had been eliminated in three airstrikes carried out this week in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip. Those killed included a Hamas Nukhba company commander, cell leaders, and sniper operatives.

According to a joint statement issued by the two security agencies, two airstrikes were conducted on Monday, eliminating Mahmoud Jihad Mohammed Kafa, who served as the head of a sniper cell in Hamas's military wing, and Asaad Suleiman Salman Qishta, an Army of Islam operative involved in facilitating smuggling operations into the Gaza Strip.

A day earlier, on Sunday, the IDF and Shin Bet targeted four additional operatives operating in the Khan Younis area. Among those eliminated were Shaher Mohammed Zaarab, a Nukhba company commander in Hamas's military wing, and Mohammed Zakaria al-Jamal, who headed a cell within the organization.

The same strike also killed Mohammed Amin al-Namas, an operative in Hamas's military wing, and Mohammed Ali Abu Shaar, who served as a sniper operative for Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Israeli security officials stated that all six operatives had been involved in planning and advancing attacks against IDF forces and Israeli civilians throughout the war, particularly in recent weeks. They were also accused of working to rebuild the operational capabilities of terrorist organizations in Gaza, in what the IDF and Shin Bet described as systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement.