The Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and Lahav 433's Gideonim unit eliminated Farah Hamad, a senior Hamas operative who served on the organization's 'West Bank Headquarters' and was a member of the Silwad cell, in a precision airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Hamad, a released Shalit-deal convict who was serving multiple life sentences, continued directing terror operations in Judea and Samaria from Gaza until his elimination.
Farah Hamad, a senior Hamas operative who orchestrated terror attacks in Judea and Samaria from the Gaza Strip after his release in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, was eliminated in a precision airstrike on Wednesday. The joint operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Lahav 433's Gideonim unit targeted Hamad in the Gaza Strip using precise munitions and aerial surveillance. By Thursday evening (20:16 Jerusalem), the IDF officially confirmed the elimination, stating that Hamad had continued directing terror operations from Gaza.
On Wednesday evening (18:46 Jerusalem), Hamas acknowledged Hamad's death in a strike on a motorcycle in the Sheikh Ijlin neighborhood of Gaza City, describing him as a member of its Military Council responsible for operations in Judea and Samaria. Earlier Thursday (09:38 Jerusalem), The Zioneer published a detailed profile of Hamad, outlining his role in the Silwad cell and his leadership in directing terror funding and guidance from Gaza.
As The Zioneer has reported, Hamad was a member of the Silwad cell responsible for the October 2003 ambush near Ein Yabroud that killed three IDF soldiers and the murder of Israeli civilians. He was arrested, sentenced to life imprisonment, but freed in the 2011 Shalit deal and deported to Gaza. From there, he served as a senior figure in Hamas's "West Bank Headquarters," linking the terror group's leadership to operational cells in Judea and Samaria.
The elimination is confirmed by both Israeli security forces and Hamas. No further operational details have been released regarding the precise timing of the Wednesday strike.
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