A commander in Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion was captured after attempting to flee from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, the military says.
According to the IDF, the Hamas commander was among eight terror operatives who emerged from a tunnel overnight and were targeted in airstrikes.
Earlier, the IDF said that at least three of the operatives were killed in an airstrike.
“After scans by the troops in the area, one of the terrorists was arrested while trying to flee and hide,” the IDF says, adding that he is a “key commander” in Hamas’s East Rafah Battalion.
However, footage posted online purports to show that the Hamas commander was actually captured by members of the anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia, which is based in the Rafah area. He was then reportedly handed over to the military.
The military says troops are continuing to scan the area for the other gunmen to “locate and eliminate” them.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 30, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
