Copyright ynetnews
The IDF announced Wednesday it had eliminated several senior terror operatives in overnight airstrikes across Gaza, launched in response to the killing of a reserve soldier in Rafah. The strikes followed what Israel described as a flagrant breach of the ceasefire by Hamas. Palestinian officials reported 104 people were killed in the attacks. The military said the operation, led by Southern Command and coordinated with the Shin Bet and military intelligence, targeted dozens of terrorist sites and personnel. Among those confirmed killed, the military said, were senior figures linked to the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. According to the IDF, Muhammad Isa, a Nukhba platoon commander, and Fawwaz ‘Uwayda, head of a Nukhba cell, were both eliminated in the strikes. The Nukhba is a Hamas elite unit heavily involved in the October 7 assault. Also killed, according to Israeli intelligence, were Muhammad Abu Shari‘a and Nidal Abu Shari‘a, operatives in the Gaza-based jihadist group Mujahideen Brigades. In a separate precision strike in southern Gaza, the IDF said it killed Hatem Maher Mousa Qudra, a Nukhba company commander in northern Khan Younis, who it said led the deadly October 7 raid on Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha. The military said it had also targeted multiple command-level figures across Hamas' ranks, including two battalion commanders, two deputy commanders and 16 company-level officers. Other targets included observation posts, weapons production facilities, rocket and mortar launch sites and underground tunnels. The strikes came after Master Sgt. (res.) Efi (Yona Efraim) Feldbaum, who held dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, was shot and killed Tuesday during an exchange of fire in Rafah. Following the attacks, the IDF announced at 10 a.m. that the ceasefire in Gaza had resumed. The statement noted that the military was now “re-enforcing the agreement after its violation by the Hamas terror organization,” and that the strikes had been carried out “in accordance with directives from the political echelon.” Hamas has denied responsibility for the Rafah attack. In parallel, Israel is preparing to recover the bodies of two hostages held by Hamas, after the terror group claimed it had located the remains of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both of whom were taken captive during the October 7 onslaught. While the military made the ceasefire announcement, Israeli political leaders had a day earlier taken credit for launching the air campaign in response to the breach. U.S. officials, who urged restraint, reportedly gave Israel the green light for a limited, targeted response. President Donald Trump said overnight that “Israel had to strike back” after the soldier’s death, but emphasized that this “does not mean the ceasefire is over.”
