From the Liveblog of
Saturday, September 7, 2024
IDF, Shin Bet: Two Islamic Jihad commanders killed in strike on command room in central Gaza on Thursday
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Palestinian Islamic Jihad battalion commanders were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
The strike targeted a command room embedded within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, according to the military.
Several terror operatives were killed in the strike, including Abdullah Khattab, the commander of PIJ’s South Deir al-Balah Battalion, and Hatem Abu al-Jidyan, the commander of PIJ’s East Deir al-Balah Battalion, the IDF and Shin Bet say.
The IDF says Khattab had oversaw his battalion during the October 7 onslaught, and was involved in numerous attacks on Israel and troops, including rocket fire and anti-tank fire.
Abu al-Jidyan also advanced numerous attacks against troops amid the ongoing fighting.
To mitigate harm to civilians in the strike, the IDF says it carried out “many steps,” including using precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
“This is another example of the systematic use by the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip of the population and civilian infrastructure, including the humanitarian zone, to carry out terror acts against the state and IDF troops,” the military adds.
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