The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Gaza over Shabbos in an attempt to eliminate Ali al-Amoudi, a senior Hamas terrorist who has effectively been serving as the terror group’s leader in the Gaza Strip.

According to reports, al-Amoudi was inside an apartment targeted by the IDF. Israeli assessments indicate that his chances of surviving the strike are low, although his elimination has not yet been officially confirmed.

Al-Amoudi is considered one of the most senior Hamas figures remaining in Gaza and has effectively been running the terror organization in the Strip through a body known as the “Government Emergency Committee.”

He assumed the position on an interim basis after Khalil al-Hayya, who previously headed Hamas in Gaza, was appointed to lead the terror organization’s political bureau. Recent reports in Arab media indicated that Hamas was preparing to hold elections for the position.

Al-Amoudi previously played a role in Hamas’s propaganda and media apparatus. He was released from Israeli prison as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and was considered a close confidant of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar both during his imprisonment and following his release.

Reports from Gaza following the overnight strikes said five people were killed in Israeli attacks, including four women. Two of the women were reportedly Christians from Gaza, while another person killed was identified as a 21-year-old Gaza resident.

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)