Jerusalem: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday that it had killed a Hamas commander in an airstrike in Gaza City.
The commander, identified as Momen Ahmad Salameh Ay, allegedly held Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza City and served as an aide to commanders of Hamas’s Gaza Brigade.
According to the Israeli military, he had recently advanced attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians and attempted to restore Hamas’s capabilities.
The IDF said it had taken steps to minimize civilian casualties ahead of the airstrike, which was carried out Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a separate statement, the IDF said infantry soldiers operating in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon had located a ready-to-detonate explosive device, a Hezbollah position, and additional weapons used by the group.
On Friday, the IDF said in a statement that it had killed three militants in Gaza City.
The IDF said two of the men were identified as Hassam Walid Hassan Abu Al-Ata, allegedly a commander in the rocket unit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s military wing, and Magdi Moein Yousef Al-Ayoubi, also a member of the group’s military wing.
The third was identified as Muhammad Aja, a company commander in Hamas’ military wing, it added.
According to the IDF, the militants, killed in aerial strikes on Thursday, had recently advanced attacks against Israeli soldiers and worked to restore the capabilities of the two groups.
In a separate statement, the IDF and the Shin Bet domestic security agency said they had dismantled four weapons storage facilities belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad across the Gaza Strip.
The facilities contained dozens of weapons and other military equipment, including rockets, explosive devices, mortars, and Kalashnikov rifles, the statement said.