The IDF and Shin Bet carried out an airstrike Tuesday evening targeting the commander of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade in the southern Gaza Strip, as Israel continues a wave of targeted eliminations against senior terrorists in the Strip.
The strike was carried out using a drone and led by the IDF Southern Command. The results of the strike are still being assessed, although Israeli defense officials believe the Hamas commander was killed.
The targeted terrorist, Nael Abu Obeid, took over as commander of the Rafah Brigade in May of last year, replacing Mohammed Shabana, who was eliminated at the time in Khan Younis.
Following the strike, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a joint statement backing the operation.
“Our message is clear: No terrorist is immune, and Hamas will not be in Gaza,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
The operation comes amid a series of targeted strikes against senior terrorists in Gaza in recent days. Last Thursday, the IDF eliminated Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade commander, Mohammed Yazouri, in Al-Mawasi, along with a company commander and another terrorist. Yazouri had recently been working to rebuild the brigade’s capabilities and advance dozens of attacks against IDF troops.
The IDF and Shin Bet later confirmed that Nael Abu Obeid was eliminated in the strike. Abu Obeid served as commander of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade and head of the terror group’s military operations array, and was responsible for directing terrorists to carry out attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.
The IDF also eliminated Ahmed Batash, commander of Hamas’ Jabaliya Battalion, overnight. Batash was responsible for the terror group’s weapons infrastructure in northern Gaza and had repeatedly violated the ceasefire as part of efforts to rebuild Hamas’ capabilities.
Separately, over the weekend, Mohsen Abu al-Hadaf, head of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket cell, was eliminated in Khan Younis. According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Abu al-Hadaf participated in the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Kissufim.
The IDF and Shin Bet said precision munitions were used in the strikes and measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
