Senior Hamas intelligence officer killed in Israeli airstrike in central Gaza

An airstrike conducted by Israeli forces in central Gaza resulted in the death of a Hamas intelligence officer.

 IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip. April 18, 2024. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip. April 18, 2024.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF killed a senior Hamas intelligence officer in an overnight strike on a terrorist cell in the central Gaza Strip, the military reported on Thursday.

The terrorist killed, Yussef Rafik Ahmed Shabat, served as a security officer in the military intelligence wing of Hamas's Beit Hanoun Battalion.

Shabat was responsible for investigations in Hamas's Beit Hanoun Internal Security Department, the military added.  

IDF troops, along with the help of the Shin Bet from the Firepower Unit 215, targeted ten terrorists using an aircraft. The attack was carried out after gathering precise intelligence.

Israel Air Force fighter jets, in coordination with the Southern Command's Firepower Unit, targeted yesterday a rocket launcher in the Rimaleh neighborhood area, from which several launches were directed towards forces of Brigade 162 operating in the area.

Footage of IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip. April 18, 2024. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

IDF targets dozens of terrorist infrastructures within Gaza

Over the past few days, Israeli air force units have targeted dozens of terror targets throughout Gaza, including observation posts, military structures, terrorists, and other terrorist infrastructures.

The attack comes amid reports claiming that the US has agreed to an Israeli ground invasion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah if Israel does not retaliate with counterstrikes against Iran.