Hamas Commander Killed in Air Strike, Had Led Attacks on 2 Kibbutzim

Jerusalem, 1 January, 2024 (TPS) -- Israel continued pressing its Gaza offensive in the new year, killing a Hamas commander in an air strike and pounding more of the terror group’s infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday morning.

An Air Force fighter jet directed by ground forces killed Adel Mesmah, the commander of the Najaba company of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Masmah commanded the terrorists of this company who attacked Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, where a combined 135 Israelis were massacred. After Israel invaded Gaza, Masmeh continued to lead attacks against Israeli forces.

In northern Gaza’s Shejaiya district, Israeli forces raided a command and control center used by both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The forces also discovered many weapons inside a mosque.

Ground forces also directed air strikes on a Hamas squad near Khan Yunis launching rockets, and against terrorists who fired a mortar at soldiers. The terrorists in both strikes were eliminated.

During the night, Israeli naval forces struck terror infrastructure and other Hamas positions in support of ground forces.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The number of men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners held captive in Gaza by Hamas is now believed to be 129. Other people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.