The IDF and Shin Bet announced on Sunday that a senior Hamas commander responsible for the deadliest assault on Israeli forces during the current war in Gaza was killed in a targeted drone strike over the weekend.

The commander, Khalil Abed al-Nasser Mohammad Hatib, led a Hamas cell in the terror group’s Maghazi Battalion. He was behind a devastating RPG attack on January 22, 2024, that claimed the lives of 21 Israeli soldiers—the highest single-day death toll for Israeli forces in the ongoing conflict.

According to the IDF, Hatib’s cell fired rocket-propelled grenades at two buildings near the Israeli border that had been fortified and prepared for demolition, as well as at a tank providing cover for the troops. The ambush resulted in catastrophic losses for the Israeli unit.

Troops from the IDF’s 414th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit identified Hatib on Friday. Following confirmation, a drone strike was called in, successfully eliminating the operative.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)