According to a report from the Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the IDF killed the brother of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in the Nuseirat camp on Friday, hoping to lure the commander to the funeral. The commander reportedly did not attend, but his associates were struck, killing 7, including two of his operatives.
A report published Sunday by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat says the IDF killed the brother of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Friday (July 17), as part of a trap to lure the commander to the funeral. According to the report, the commander, who has survived four previous assassination attempts, did not attend, but his associates were struck, killing seven people, including two of his operatives. The IDF has not commented on the report.
The report adds a new layer to a strike that the IDF itself has already acknowledged. On Friday, the IDF announced the elimination of a sniper and a Hamas operations official in separate strikes in central and northern Gaza. On Saturday, July 18, at 20:33 Jerusalem, the IDF identified the sniper killed in Nuseirat as al-Muammah Abu Brikh, a sniper for Palestinian Islamic Jihad who was 'advancing sniper attacks against Israeli forces' and was eliminated while attending the funeral of another operative. The IDF also named the Hamas official as Muhammad Tayseer Ahmad Ubayd, head of a department in the operations bureau. Earlier reports of the strike, including a social media post from Friday evening, said eight people were killed in the Nuseirat strike. The IDF told the New York Times on Saturday that the strike was aimed at Islamic Jihad terrorists and that claims of civilian casualties were under review.
The Zioneer has tracked the IDF's campaign against Islamic Jihad operatives. On June 7, a UAV strike in Gaza City killed four Islamic Jihad commanders during a meeting. On June 25, the Air Force eliminated an Islamic Jihad commander described as an immediate threat. The funeral strike tactic was first flagged in a social media post on Friday, July 17, at 18:18 Jerusalem, which claimed the IDF eliminated a terrorist during a funeral.
The Asharq Al-Awsat report's claim of a trap involving the brother of a senior commander remains unverified by the IDF. The identity of the senior commander and the exact number of casualties (7 vs 8 reported earlier) are still unclear. The report's sourcing is a single Arabic newspaper, and the IDF has not confirmed or denied the specific details.
7 developments
- DevelopingIDF Eliminates 4 Islamic Jihad Commanders in Gaza Strike
- StrongAir Force eliminates Islamic Jihad squad commander who took part in Oct. 7 massacre
- StrongIDF to NYT: Nuseirat strike targeted Islamic Jihad operatives; civilian casualties under review
- ConfirmedIDF, Shin Bet eliminate two Islamic Jihad Oct. 7 infiltrators, including hostage-holding commander
Source and signal
- Internal intake