Category: Israel

The IDF and Shin Bet announced Tuesday that Ahmed Batash, head of Hamas’s Jabalia Battalion in the terror group’s northern Gaza brigade, was eliminated overnight in a strike in the northern Gaza Strip. According to Israeli security officials, Batash had recently been working to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities and advance terror attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, while systematically violating the ceasefire. His elimination comes after several days in which additional senior Hamas terrorists and operatives were targeted, including the head of the Khan Yunis Brigade and members of the terror group’s weapons-production apparatus.

Batash served as head of the Jabalia Battalion, part of Hamas’s northern Gaza brigade. In that role, he managed and organized weapons for the brigade and was involved in coordinating and advancing the supply of weapons and military equipment to Hamas terrorists. Israeli security officials said that in recent months he had also been working to rebuild capabilities damaged during the war.

The IDF and Shin Bet described the strike as an operation intended to remove an immediate threat. They said precautions were taken before and during the strike to minimize harm to civilians as much as possible. “Prior to and during the strike, steps were taken to minimize harm to civilians as much as possible, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance,” they said. Israeli security officials added that forces remain deployed in Gaza in accordance with the agreement: “Security forces are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat.”

The elimination in northern Gaza follows a series of operations targeting Hamas’s remaining leadership and efforts to rebuild its military capabilities in recent days. Last week, Mohammed Abd al-Salam Yazouri, head of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade and a member of the terror group’s senior military council, was eliminated. Hamas confirmed his death, and according to the IDF, he was involved in the Oct. 7 massacre and had recently been working to rebuild the brigade’s infrastructure and advance operations against Israeli forces.

According to the IDF, Hudaifa Muammar and Mohammed Bahjat Rashi, two terrorists connected to Yazouri’s activities, were also eliminated. The strike on Yazouri was particularly significant because of his senior position within Hamas: Beyond heading one of the terror group’s principal brigades, he was among the remaining members of its senior military leadership in Gaza following a long series of eliminations during the war.

Another elimination was carried out Sunday, this time in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. An aircraft struck a vehicle carrying two Hamas terrorists, Hassan Ali Abu Nada and Abd al-Rahim Ahmed Khalil Hawa. According to the IDF, both belonged to Hamas’s weapons-production apparatus, worked on developing weapons and were involved in advancing attacks against Israeli forces. The military said the two had also recently been working to restore Hamas’s operational capabilities. In additional operations announced by the IDF, Mu’amen Jaber al-Sayed Abu Labda, a terrorist in Hamas’s Rafah Brigade who headed its sniper apparatus, was eliminated, along with Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil, a Nukhba terrorist who, according to the military, participated in the Oct. 7 massacre.

Alongside the eliminations, developments on the ground in recent days have underscored just how fragile the ceasefire remains. Earlier this month, an IDF engineering vehicle struck a Hamas explosive device near the Yellow Line in the northern Gaza Strip. No Israeli soldiers were wounded. The IDF described the incident as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization.” In response, the military struck Hamas infrastructure overnight that it said had been used to advance terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

Alongside the airstrikes, the IDF continues operating against Hamas infrastructure remaining in areas under Israeli control. In recent days, the military also announced that it had completed the destruction of a Hamas tunnel network in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. The operation is part of the continuing effort to dismantle underground terror infrastructure remaining near areas where Israeli forces are deployed.

Changes made: Preserved the original eight-paragraph structure and all substantive details while smoothing the English for an American audience. I used “head” rather than “commander” for Hamas leadership roles, kept Tuesday and the overnight timing in the opening, and preserved the IDF/Shin Bet quotations and the article’s broader context about Hamas’s efforts to rebuild under the ceasefire.