From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Senior Hamas intelligence commander killed in Gaza strike yesterday, IDF says
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A senior Hamas intelligence commander was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF says.
The military says the strike killed Muhammed Abu Shaleh, the intelligence officer of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.
Shaleh was involved in planning the October 7, 2023, onslaught, and more recently “operated in violation of the ceasefire agreement to rehabilitate the organization’s capabilities in the Gaza Strip and planned to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the IDF says in a statement.
“The terrorist was targeted in a precise strike in order to remove an immediate threat to IDF troops,” the military adds.
צה"ל ושב"כ חיסלו את מפקד המודיעין הצבאי של חטיבת חאן יונס בארגון הטרור חמאס
כוחות צה"ל ושב"כ תקפו וחיסלו אתמול (ד') את מחמד אבו שהלה, מפקד המודיעין הצבאי של ארגון הטרור חמאס בחטיבת חאן יונס.
שהלה שימש במהלך המלחמה כקצין המודיעין של בכירי החטיבה ולקח חלק בתכנון טבח ה-7 באוקטובר… pic.twitter.com/n4ktflu20B
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 19, 2026
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