Hamas Commander Killed in Central Gaza as Israel Destroys Rocket Launchers

Jerusalem, 5 May, 2024 (TPS) -- The Israeli military continued destroying Hamas terror infrastructure and eliminated terrorists in the last 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

Based on intelligence, Israeli aircraft struck and killed Saleh Jamil Muhammad Amad, who was responsible for combat support within Hamas’ Bureij Battalion. He was killed along with several other Hamas operatives.

During an additional strike, IAF aircraft struck and eliminated three Hamas “Nukhba” terrorists, some of whom took part in the October 7 massacre.

Among them was Aiman Zaarab of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Zaarab was PIJ commander of PIJ’s Rafah Brigade, who directed and commanded numerous attacks and infiltrations from Gaza in recent years. Most recently, he was responsible for leading an elite group of terrorists who attacked Kibbutz Sufa and an adjacent military post on October 7. Zaarab and two other Hamas operatives were killed together in a hideout.

Overnight, IDF artillery fired toward a Hamas launch area containing ready-to-use rocket launchers aimed at southern Israel.

Over the past day, IAF fighter jets and aircraft struck additional Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including military structures, terrorist infrastructure and weapons storage facilities. In one of the strikes, an Israeli fighter jet struck a structure from which a sniper was threatening the troops. During an additional strike, two terrorists who were operating in proximity to a launch post were eliminated.

Furthermore, following IDF intelligence, IAF aircraft struck and eliminated three Hamas terrorists in the area of Jabaliya, including a Hamas deputy company commander, a tunnel operative, and a drone operator.

At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Around 30 of the remaining 133 hostages are believed dead.