IDF: Latest Gaza Strikes Kill Hamas Commanders Involved in Oct. 7 Massacre

The IDF said Wednesday that its latest wave of strikes in Gaza targeted senior Hamas and other terror commanders following what it described as “blatant violations” of the ceasefire by the terrorist organization.

According to an IDF and Shin Bet statement, the overnight operation, led by the Southern Command and guided by Military Intelligence, hit “dozens of terrorists in the Gaza Strip, including two battalion-level terrorists, two deputy battalion-level terrorists, and 16 company-level commanders.”

The military said the airstrikes were carried out by the Israeli Air Force in coordination with Shin Bet and targeted “dozens of key terrorists, observation posts, a weapons production site, rocket and mortar launch positions, and underground tunnels.” These strikes were part of what the IDF called a “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire following Hamas’ violations.

The IDF noted that the operation was designed to further degrade Hamas’ military infrastructure and eliminate key figures responsible for directing terror attacks. “The IDF and Shin Bet will continue to operate with force to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel,” the statement said.

In the past 24 hours alone, the Air Force struck “dozens of terrorists from terrorist organizations across the Gaza Strip,” according to the IDF. Among those confirmed killed were several Hamas operatives who had taken part in the October 7, 2023, massacre.

They included Muhammad Issa Asher, a Nukhba unit commander; Fuaz Awida, head of a Nukhba squad; and two members of the so-called “Desert Lords” terror organization, Muhammad Abu Sharia and Nidal Abu Sharia.

The IDF also said that in a “precise strike in the southern Gaza Strip,” its forces eliminated Khatam Maher Musa Qadra, a Nukhba company commander in northern Khan Younis, who personally led the murderous raid on Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha on October 7.

While the IDF continues to assess the results of the operation, it said that the strikes were aimed at terror operatives directly involved in Hamas’s military command structure. “Attack attempts were made on two battalion-level terrorists, two deputy battalion-level terrorists, and 16 company-level commanders,” the military said.

The IDF emphasized that it will not allow Hamas to rearm or regroup amid ongoing ceasefire violations, vowing to “continue to operate with determination to remove any threat to Israeli civilians.”