The IDF said the Hamas commander was responsible for the rocket barrages fired from the Khan Yunis area toward Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that it killed a Hamas rocket-launching platoon commander in a military airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip last week.
According to the Israeli military, Shab had been responsible for the rocket barrages launched from the Khan Yunis area toward southern and central Israel since the war erupted last year.
There has been no independent confirmation of Shab’s death, and it remains unclear if there were additional casualties resulting from the attack.
The IDF said that its air force had struck approximately 25 Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza the previous day, including terrorist cells, military structures, and terrorist infrastructure.
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The two commanders were identified as Abdallah Khatib and Hatem Abu Aljidian. The IDF said Khatib led the battalion’s terrorist activity during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Aljidian was in charge of carrying out attacks against IDF troops throughout the war.
The IDF said that “numerous steps” had been taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians in the area before launching the strike, such as using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after Hamas terrorists carried out widespread attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than 1,100 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during the attack. The Hamas-controlled Gaza health department has said that Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza has led to more than 40,000 deaths.
Demonstrators were blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for failing to secure a hostage deal. Israeli leadership has faced mounting calls to accept a deal for months, although extended negotiations between Israel and Hamas have not brought results.
Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
