Recent airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed several senior operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with Israeli officials describing the attacks as a response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire after gunmen opened fire on Israeli troops in western Rafah.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet identified Muhammad Hamed Muhammad al-Hawli as among those killed. Al-Hawli had previously been named by senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan as a local commander in the group’s al-Qassam Brigades.

According to the Israeli military, al-Hawli was a longtime operative who played a significant role in Hamas’s military activity over several decades, including preparations for the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel. The IDF said al-Hawli also directed a February 1995 attack at the Nachal Oz checkpoint in which Israeli guard Yevgeny Gromov was killed.

During that earlier attack, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a security vehicle escorting fuel tankers into Gaza. Gromov was critically wounded but returned fire before succumbing to his injuries. He was the sole fatality in the incident. Hamas never formally claimed responsibility, though the IDF said the operation was carried out under al-Hawli’s direction. Israeli officials said he was killed in a strike last week, nearly 30 years later.

Palestinian reports following the strike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah said at least five additional people were killed, including al-Hawli’s wife and daughter.

The IDF also said it killed Ashraf Adnan Muhammad al-Khatib, whom it identified as the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket and missile array in central Gaza. Arabic media reported that an airstrike Thursday night hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing al-Khatib and his wife and wounding several others.

In a separate operation, the IDF confirmed the killing of Saeed Khaled Ali Abd al-Rahman, described as the sniper commander in Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion and a key source of tactical expertise. The military did not specify where or when he was killed.

Israeli officials also said two additional Hamas operatives involved in efforts to rehabilitate the group’s military infrastructure were killed in another strike, without providing further details.

The IDF said the series of strikes dealt a “significant blow” to the terrorist groups’ ability to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli forces operating in Gaza under the ceasefire. The military said it would continue to act against any attempts to harm Israeli troops or civilians.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported that hospitals received the body of one person killed by Israeli fire and treated several wounded over the past 24 hours. The ministry did not identify the deceased or specify where the incident occurred.

Palestinian media also reported that a 16-year-old, identified as Muhammad al-Brawi, was killed by Israeli gunfire near the ceasefire line in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya on Friday evening. His body was reportedly taken to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital before being released to his family for burial. The IDF has not commented on the report.

The health ministry said six additional people were wounded by Israeli gunfire during the same period, without detailing the circumstances or severity of their injuries.

Separately, the ministry reported that a 27-day-old girl died from cold exposure in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Palestinian media identified the infant as Aisha al-Agha, saying she was found dead early Saturday. Health officials said she was the eighth child to die from cold exposure in Gaza since the start of the winter season in December.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)