Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Deir al-Balah Battalion commanders Abdallah Khatib and Hatem Abu Aljidian were killed on Saturday during a day of Israel Air Force (IAF) strikes on PIJ and Hamas terrorists embedded in a humanitarian area and schools in the Gaza Strip, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced.
The statement noted that the Israel Air Force strike was precise, targeted an immediate threat in the area, and was conducted to neutralize the danger posed by the terrorists.
Khatib reportedly commanded the battalion’s terrorist activity during the October 7 massacre in southern Israel. Aljidian, was the commander of the Islamic Jihad’s Eastern Deir al-Balah Battalion.
IAF strikes Hamas terror command center embedded in northern Gaza school
Earlier, IAF aircraft conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists operating from within a command and control center embedded in a structure that had previously served as a school building, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.
Hamas reportedly used the Amr Ibn al-As School in northern Gaza to plan and launch attacks on Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and on Israeli territory.
Early Saturday morning, the IDF reported that during the previous night, the IAF struck a Hamas terrorist command and control center embedded within the Halima al-Sa’diyya school in northern Gaza. The terrorists had also been using the command center to plan terror attacks, according to reports.
Reuters, citing local medics, reported that the strike on the Halima al-Sa’diyya school killed at least eight people and wounded 15.
According to the news agency, displaced people have been using the school compound in Jabalya as a shelter.
Steps taken to reduce civilian harm
In the announcements of all the strikes mentioned, the IDF and Shin Bet stated that Israel had taken numerous steps to mitigate risk to civilians located near the targets.
They also noted that IAF strikes had used precise ammunition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence to mitigate risk further.
Hamas frequently exploits current or past civilian infrastructure to shelter its activities.