The IDF and Shin Bet eliminated four Hamas commanders in a series of strikes in Gaza, the military announced Sunday. Among them was Walid Haniyeh, a Nukhba deputy company commander who directed the infiltration of a cell into Israel on October 7, and Mansour Shahtout, commander of Hamas' Naval Police in the Central Camps, who was killed alongside two other naval commanders in a strike on Friday.
On Sunday at 14:32 Jerusalem, the IDF confirmed the elimination of two additional Hamas commanders in operations earlier in the week, bringing to four the total number of senior operatives killed across three strikes. The announcement adds Abd al-Rahman Ziyada, a Nukhba cell commander who infiltrated Israel on October 7, and Kamal Najjar, head of Hamas' Tunnel Unit in Khan Yunis, to the tally alongside commanders already reported by The Zioneer.
On Saturday at 21:16, The Zioneer first reported that the IDF killed Hamas naval police commander Mansour Shahtout and two other naval police commanders in a Friday strike. That same evening at 21:35, the desk reported the elimination of Walid Haniyeh, a Nukhba deputy company commander who directed an infiltration cell on October 7. Earlier on Sunday at 10:02, The Zioneer reported the killing of Abd al-Rahman Ziyada. Throughout these reports, the military consistently described each target as advancing attacks against Israeli forces and posing an immediate threat at the time of the strike.
As The Zioneer reported on June 9, the IDF previously struck the main Hamas naval police headquarters in Khan Yunis, killing several militants including a commander in the military wing. The current series of killings extends a campaign targeting mid-level commanders, including Islamic Jihad platoon commanders eliminated on June 12, as part of efforts to degrade ongoing attack capabilities against Israeli troops.
The IDF has not specified the precise date or method of the strikes that killed Ziyada and Najjar, nor released imagery or additional intelligence supporting the assessments of their roles. The military's classification of each target as an 'immediate threat' remains based on its own operational assessment.
5 developments
- StrongIDF kills two Hamas cell commanders in central and northern Gaza strikes
- StrongIDF strikes Hamas naval police headquarters and weapon warehouses in Gaza, kills commander
- StrongIDF confirms Waleed Haniyeh eliminated 'day before yesterday,' details October 7 role
- ConfirmedIDF kills two senior Hamas commanders in northern Gaza for ceasefire violations
Source and signal
- Internal intake