IDF says it killed Hamas’s de facto PM in Gaza and other top officials

The IDF announces that it eliminated the de-facto prime minister of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and several other top officials in the terror group today.

Hamas earlier announced the deaths of Issam Da’alis, the head of the governmental activity monitoring committee, a position roughly akin to prime minister; Ahmad al-Khatta, the director-general of Hamas’s justice ministry; Mahmoud Abu Watfa, who headed the terror group’s interior ministry, responsible for Hamas’s police and internal security services in Gaza; and Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of Hamas’s internal security forces.

צה״ל ושב"כ תקפו ביממה האחרונה עשרות רבות של מטרות טרור ומחבלים מארגון הטרור חמאס ברחבי רצועת עזה, בהם מפקדים בדרגי ביניים ובכירים בזרוע המדינית של ארגון הטרור חמאס. זאת במטרה לפגוע ביכולות הצבאיות והשלטוניות של ארגון הטרור חמאס ולהסרת איום על מדינת ישראל ואזרחיה>> pic.twitter.com/fQWs9v4RFr

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 18, 2025

In a statement, the IDF says it targeted and killed those four senior Hamas officials, as part of a wide-scale bombing campaign against dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip since early this morning.

The strikes have targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure. Islamic Jihad members and infrastructure have also been targeted.

The IDF says the strikes are aimed at “causing a blow to the military and governmental capabilities of the Hamas terror organization, and remove a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Da’alis, the de-facto Hamas prime minister, had replaced Rawhi Mushtaha following his killing by Israel in July 2024.

The military says that as part of his role, Da’alis was “entrusted with the functioning of the Hamas terror regime in the Gaza Strip” and coordinating all the branches of the organization.

The IDF says it can also confirm that al-Khatta, Abu Watfa, and Abu Sultan were killed in airstrikes today.