The IDF said it carried out a strike yesterday (Thursday) in the southern Gaza Strip, killing Yahya Saeed Mohammed Hamdan, a commander of a Nukhba squad in Hamas' military wing. According to the military, Hamdan participated in the October 7 massacre, raiding the Re'im military base.
The IDF released footage of the strike, describing it as "a precise aerial strike."
The footage of the strike, described as 'a precise aerial strike'
(Credit: IDF Spokesperson)
"In recent months, Hamdan advanced attacks against IDF troops and sought to restore the operational capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization," the army said. "The terrorist posed an immediate threat to IDF troops operating in the area and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike. IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat."
Over the past week, the IDF has carried out operations targeting several terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip, including terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and in holding hostages.
Yesterday, the IDF also announced that it had killed Rashid al-Qadhi, head of a department in the production unit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. The IDF said al-Qadhi played a central role in the organization's weapons production network, which is responsible for manufacturing and supplying weapons to its terrorist wing. As part of his role, he oversaw efforts to produce weapons intended for use against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.
Palestinian media reported yesterday that Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem survived an in the IDF strike. According to the reports, the strike targeted a vehicle from the air. Saudi-owned Al Hadath reported that Qassem survived, while Palestinian reports said his aide, Mohammed al-Fayoumi, was killed in the strike.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem survived an in the IDF strike
(Photo: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
On Monday, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they had killed Wahid Abu Salam, who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7 and took part in the abduction of civilians and their captivity. The army said Abu Salam had previously served as commander of the western company in Khan Younis. In recent weeks, he had also been advancing additional terrorist attack plans, including efforts to restore weapons intended for use against IDF forces.
Hamas still controls Gaza
Hamas continues to control Gaza, intimidating anyone who considers challenging its rule, while residents seeking to leave the territory are required to pay exorbitant sums that offer no guarantee of departure.
Those wishing to leave must deposit between $5,000 and $6,000 per adult and $2,500 per child with the Egyptian company Hala. An average Gazan family of four seeking a better future elsewhere would have to pay about $20,000 to leave, not including several hundred dollars in brokerage fees.
Because the IDF now controls most of the Gaza Strip, displaced residents are living in 18 large tent camps established outside the "Yellow Line." Blankets, sheets and plastic tarps are used to build shelters. Conditions are cold and wet in winter and sweltering in summer, with overcrowding filling virtually every square foot. Early each morning, people line up at water distribution points and check whether food aid has arrived from Egypt or Jordan. At times, food and clothing donations from European countries also arrive, leading to long lines at distribution centers that many abandon because of the intense heat.