The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that Majdi Aqilan, commander of the Hamas Shati Battalion, was among several fighters killed during a week-long operation targeting his military unit.
It did not specify when exactly Aqilan was killed, but the attack was conducted via an airstrike.
According to the IDF, Aqilan oversaw the strike on Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
The IDF said in a report on the brutal attack that 66 soldiers defending a base in Nahal Oz were killed on Oct. 7. A total of 15 civilians were also killed and eight more were taken hostage, during in the hours of fighting that day.
Following the Oct. 7 strike, Aqilan participated in attacks targeting IDF forces in north and central Gaza, the statement said.
Mehdoh Mahana, who served as a senior member of the Hamas' Gaza Brigade tunneling unit, was also killed during the week-long operation.
"Mahana raided Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, as part of his duties he led the planning and construction of Hamas tunnels and the training of underground operatives," the IDF statement said.
Ahmed Suidan, a Shatti Battalion company commander, was also killed, it said, stating he was involved in the kidnapping of Israeli citizens on Oct. 7 and their transfer into Gaza.
"The seniors in the Shatti Battalion and the Gaza Brigade of the Hamas terrorist organization were involved in terrorist plots against the citizens of the State of Israel and the IDF forces," the IDF said in a statement.
"The Shin Bet and the IDF will continue to harm anyone who promotes and engages in terrorism against the citizens of the State of Israel."
Approximately 100 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 44,500 people have been killed and more than 105,700 have been injured in Gaza during the war.
Israel says struck Hezbollah 'smuggling route' on Syria-Lebanon border
Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 6, 2024 -
Israel's army said Friday it had conducted air strikes on Hezbollah "weapon-smuggling routes" on the Syria-Lebanon border, just over a week into a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.
Lebanon's General Security agency said Friday that crossings to Syria, except the main Masnaa point, would close "until further notice" due to "the repeated Israeli attacks that have targeted land border crossings, especially in the north".
The Israeli military said the air force "conducted strikes on weapon-smuggling routes and terror infrastructure sites located near the Syrian regime's crossings at the Syrian-Lebanese border", in a statement that included a map identifying a crossing as Al-Arida.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported that "the Al-Arida border crossing between Syria and Lebanon is out of service again due to an Israeli attack that targeted it" early Friday.
Lebanon's official National News Agency said the strike "led to damage to infrastructure" and cut off the border road "again after the bridge was repaired".
The Israeli army said the strikes aimed to prevent weapons smuggling from Syria into Lebanon, and has struck Syria-Lebanon border crossings in the past for the same reason.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli warplanes also launched air strikes targeting a border crossing "linking Lebanese territory with the outskirts of Qusayr southwest of Homs".
Syrian state media did not report the strikes in the area.
The raids come amid mutual accusations between Israel and Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire that came into effect in Lebanon on November 27.
Later on Friday, the Israeli military said its troops operating in the west of southern Lebanon had "located and destroyed launchers aimed at Israeli territory, as well as a truck equipped with a missile launcher, mortars, dozens of rockets, crates of ammunition" and assault rifles.
The military insisted it was operating within the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Related Links
Space War News
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
