The Israel Defense Forces said it killed Ali Smelha, deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba company, and Nasser Luh, head of a Nukhba cell in the Sabra Battalion, in a precision airstrike in northern Gaza on Tuesday evening. The military described both as advancing terror plots against Israeli forces.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Tuesday evening's strike in northern Gaza killed two Hamas Nukhba commanders. The targets were identified as Ali Smelha, deputy commander of a Nukhba company, and Nasser Luh, head of a Nukhba cell in the Sabra Battalion. The military said both were advancing terror plots against Israeli forces operating in the strip and posed an 'immediate threat.'
The Nukhba force, Hamas's elite unit that led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has been a primary target of IDF operations in Gaza. Over the past week, the IDF has reported the elimination of multiple Nukhba commanders, including a cell leader who infiltrated the Re'im base on Oct. 7. Earlier Wednesday, the military announced the killing of the military security chief of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion.
Israeli forces remain deployed in the Gaza Strip under the Southern Command in accordance with the current ceasefire framework. The IDF said it would continue to remove any immediate threats to its troops.
2 developments
- StrongIDF and Shin Bet kill two Hamas commanders in Gaza, including Nukhba cell leader
- StrongIDF reveals names of two Hamas operatives killed in Gaza last week, says they were plotting attacks on troops
- StrongIDF kills two Hamas cell commanders in central and northern Gaza strikes
- StrongIDF kills Hamas naval cell commander and three armed operatives in Gaza strikes
Source and signal
- Internal intake