Senior commander of Hamas' Al-Qassam elite unit killed: Israeli army

JERUSALEM

Israeli forces were able to eliminate the commander of an elite unit of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades responsible for the Oct. 7 surprise attack, the Israeli army announced Sunday.

In a statement, the Israeli army claimed that its “warplanes, under the intelligence guidance of the (security agency) Shin Bet, killed last night in the Gaza Strip Bilal Al-Qudra, the commander of the Nakhaba force in the South Khan Yunis battalion of the terrorist organization Hamas.”

According to the army, Qudra was responsible for the "raid on Kibbutz Nirim and Nir Oz.”

There was no comment from Hamas or Islamic Jihad regarding the army claims.

During the night, Israeli army added that it "attacked over a hundred military targets in the neighborhoods of Zeytun, Khan Yunis and West Jablia", along with targets that harm the capabilities of Hamas such as headquarters and military compounds, dozens of launchers, anti-tank posts and observation posts.

Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering over 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the south.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi