IDF says it killed senior Islamic Jihad commander in airstrike

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A senior commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group was killed in a recent airstrike, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

According to the military, Khaled Abu Deqa, who commanded Islamic Jihad’s rocket unit, was killed in a strike on Wednesday in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza.

The IDF says Abu Deqa operated from within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Deir al-Balah.

Abu Deqa was responsible for rocket fire on Israel amid the October 7 onslaught and during the war, and was involved in numerous other attacks on Israel and IDF troops, the military says.

To mitigate civilian harm in the strike, the IDF says it used a precision munition and aerial surveillance.

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