Israeli army says killed Hamas commander in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that it, together with the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, killed a Hamas cell commander during an airstrike on Friday in Gaza.

Khalil Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, cell commander in Hamas's Al Mawasi battalion in central Gaza, was identified during a reconnaissance mission on Friday, and was hit and killed by an aircraft directed by IDF troops, the IDF said in a statement, without specifying the location of the attack.

According to the statement, the Hamas commander was responsible for an attack that killed 21 IDF soldiers in central Gaza's Al Mawasi area in January 2024, and also led other attacks against IDF troops.

Hamas has yet to comment on the Israeli claim.

In a separate statement, the IDF said its troops struck and dismantled the booby-trapped structure from which an explosive device was activated against IDF soldiers on May 20, killing Israeli soldier Danilo Mocanu. IDF troops also dismantled tunnel shafts and observation posts they deemed as "threats."

Israel resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, following a two-month truce with Hamas. Since then, 4,149 Palestinians have been killed and 12,149 injured, according to Gaza-based health authorities on Sunday.