From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 9, 2025
IDF says it killed Hamas battalion commander for Gaza City in recent strike
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, part of the Gaza City Brigade, was killed in a recent airstrike, according to the military and Shin Bet.
A separate strike killed the battalion’s deputy commander, along with other operatives, according to the IDF.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet say that the Sabra Battalion commander, Osama Abu Namus, was eliminated in a drone strike this week.
The IDF says Abu Namus was a “significant source of knowledge” in Hamas and was responsible for attacks on Israel and IDF troops in Gaza, especially soldiers operating in the Netzarim Corridor area, located just south of Gaza City.
A separate strike killed Mohammed al-Tarq, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, the military says. According to the IDF, he previously served as the commander of a Nukhba force company in the battalion.
Al-Tarq was also responsible for attacks on troops in the Netzarim Corridor, the military says.
The IDF says recent airstrikes also eliminated two commanders in the Sabra Battalion’s Nukhba force company, including one responsible for the supply of weapons.
The Sabra Battalion is named after the neighborhood of Gaza City in which it operates.
