Israel reveals identities of senior terror operatives killed in recent Gaza strikes

The IDF and Shin Bet reveal the identities of several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in recent strikes across the Gaza Strip, which Israel said were carried out in response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire in the enclave earlier this week in western Rafah when gunmen opened fire at troops.

Among those killed was Muhammad Hamed Muhammad al-Hawli, identified previously by senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan as a local al-Qassam Brigades commander.

According to the military, al-Hawli was a key figure in the organization for decades, played a significant role in Hamas’s preparations for the October 7, 2023, onslaught, and previously directed a 1995 attack at the Nahal Oz checkpoint, in which security guard Yevgeny Gromov was killed.

Reports at the time indicated that at least five additional people, including al-Hawli’s wife and daughter, were killed in the Thursday strike in Deir al-Balah.

The IDF also confirms it killed Ashraf Adnan Muhammad al-Khatib, who, according to the military, was the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket and missile array in central Gaza.

Arabic media reported that an airstrike on Thursday night struck a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing al-Khatib along with his wife and wounding several others.

בתגובה להפרה החמורה במרחב רפיח: צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו מספר מחבלים מארגוני הטרור חמאס והג'יהאד האיסלאמי הפלסטיני ברצועת עזה

במהלך השבוע, צה"ל ושב"כ תקפו וחיסלו מספר מחבלים מארגוני הטרור חמאס והג'יהאד האיסלאמי הפלסטיני ברחבי רצועת עזה, בעקבות הפרת ההסכם החמורה מוקדם יותר השבוע במערב… pic.twitter.com/trjMGWdQzH

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 17, 2026

Another operative Israel says it has killed is Saeed Khaled Ali Abd al-Rahman, whom the military identifies as the sniper commander in Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion and a “major source of expertise in the field.” It is unclear where and when al-Rahman was killed.

In an additional strike, the IDF says it killed two more Hamas operatives who were involved in efforts to rehabilitate the group’s infrastructure, without specifying their identities or the location of the strike.

The military says the strikes dealt a “significant blow” to the terror groups’ ability to plan and carry out attacks against IDF troops deployed in Gaza under the ceasefire. It vows to continue acting against attempts to harm Israeli troops and civilians.