Hamas commander killed in IDF strike on Rafah, says military
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF and Shin Bet say a Hamas commander in the terror group’s operations unit was eliminated in an airstrike in southern Gaza’s Rafah earlier today.
Muhammad Abu Hasna was involved in “integrating extensive activity of the various Hamas units, was in contact with the field operatives of Hamas and directed them,” the IDF and Shin Bet say in a joint statement.
מוקדם יותר היום כלי טיס חיסל באופן ממוקד את מחמד אבו חסנה, מחבל חמאס במחלקת המבצעים של מרחב רפיח. התקיפה בוצעה בעקבות מידע מודיעיני מדויק של אמ״ן ושב״כ.
חסנה תכלל פעילות נרחבת של יחידות חמאס השונות, היה בקשר עם פעילי השטח של חמאס והפעיל אותם>> pic.twitter.com/r7fn37yGoh
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 13, 2024
The statement says Abu Hasna was also tasked with a Hamas intelligence war room that collected information on IDF movements in the Strip.
The IDF and Shin Bet also accuse Hasna of involvement in seizing humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip and distributing it to Hamas operatives.
Abu Hasna’s elimination “significantly harms the functioning of various Hamas units in Rafah,” the statement adds.
The IDF publishes footage of the strike.
