IDF: Members of Hamas Military Leadership Killed in Gaza Strikes

The IDF said on Wednesday afternoon that it had killed several members of Hamas’s military leadership, its General Staff Forum, in a series of strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis.

The IDF said this was carried out in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security service.

The IDF said the number of top commanders were killed and that they represent “a central part of the ‘General Staff Forum’ and are considered close to the head of the Hamas terror group’s military wing, Muhammad Deif.”

The Shin Bet later identified the four top Hamas commanders who were killed in the operation, along with two others who were killed in an earlier strike on a Hamas base.

Bassem Issa, the commander of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade; Jamaa Tahla, the head of its cyber command and responsible for improving the accuracy of the group’s rockets; Jamal Zabeda, the head of research and special projects in its munitions productions department; and Hazzem Hatib, Hamas’s chief engineer in its munitions department were all killed in the strikes.

According to the Shin Bet, Sami Radwan, who leads Hamas’ technical intelligence department, and Walid Smali, who was in charge of industrial equipment for the group’s weapons production department, were also killed in earlier attacks on Hamas sites.

“In addition, ten other operatives from Hamas’s weapons production and research and development department were killed,” the Shin Bet said.

The targeted killings come after one Israeli was killed and three others injured Wednesday morning when terrorists operating out of the Gaza Strip fired a missile at Netiv HaAsara, near the Gaza frontier.

One of the victims is listed in critical condition.

The Hamas terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, which used an antitank missile on the Israeli town of Netiv HaAsara. A jeep was struck and destroyed in the attack.

Following Wednesday’s missile attack, the death toll in Israel now stands at six.

Meanwhile, sirens sounded in many locations in southern Israel as a heavy barrage of projectiles was fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip.

There was no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The IDF believes that its strikes, killing several top Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip, will likely prompt the terror group to renew its rocket attacks on central Israel.

The Hamas said that it fired 50 rockets in the afternoon barrage on southern Israel.