The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Thursday night the elimination of Farah Hamad, a veteran Hamas operative who served as a senior member of the organization's 'West Bank Headquarters' and was part of the Silwad cell responsible for multiple attacks, including the 2003 Ein Yabroud ambush that killed three IDF soldiers and the murders of Israeli civilians. Hamad was arrested, sentenced to life terms, but released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal and deported to Gaza, where he continued directing terror operations in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF confirmed Thursday evening that it had eliminated Farah Hamad, a senior Hamas operative with a decades-long record of lethal attacks against Israelis. The military described Hamad as a veteran member of the 'West Bank Headquarters,' a Hamas unit based in Gaza that directs terror operations in Judea and Samaria, and as a core member of the Silwad cell, which carried out a string of attacks during the Second Intifada.
In a topic page published earlier Thursday, The Zioneer detailed Hamad's history: He was a founding member of the Silwad cell, responsible for the October 2003 ambush near Ein Yabroud that killed three IDF soldiers from the Duchifat Battalion, and for the murders of Israeli civilians Shuli Har-Melech, Esther Galia, and Zvi Goldstein. Hamad was captured in 2003, sentenced to multiple life terms, but was released and deported to Gaza in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Since his release, Hamad remained within Hamas's military wing and was involved in recruitng and directing operatives to carry out attacks in Judea and Samaria from his position in Gaza. His elimination marks the removal of a veteran figure who had continued to pose an active threat to Israeli security.
3 developments
- DevelopingIDF eliminates senior Hamas operative in southern Gaza
- DevelopingIDF: low turnout at senior Hamas official's funeral signals group's fading support in Gaza
- StrongIDF details elimination of senior Hamas smuggler and supply chief Muhammad Abu Fakher
- ConfirmedIDF details elimination of Hamas Oct. 7 infiltrator Nahad Aruq in northern Gaza airstrike
Source and signal
- Open-source intake