The IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) struck a command and control center on Wednesday, approximately a kilometer away from IDF troops operating in the area of Gaza City. Several Hamas terrorists operated from within the command center in order to plan and execute terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
The IDF and ISA confirmed that the terrorist Haitham Razek Abd al-Karim Sheikh Khalil, commander of Hamas's Shejaiya battalion, who commanded the infiltration into Nir Oz and took part in the attack during the murderous massacre of October 7th, was eliminated in the strike.
Throughout the war, he planned and executed terrorist attacks against IDF troops and planted explosives and booby-trapped combat zones.
In recent years, the terrorist held the position of a platoon commander in the battalion and was the head of Hamas’s tunnel operation. In his previous role, he was a Nukhba platoon commander and was involved in several terrorist attacks against IDF troops.
The terrorist assumed command of the Shejaiya battalion following the elimination of the previous commander, Jamil Wadia, and his predecessor, Fahim Farhat.
The IDF stressed that before the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.
"The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure, brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terrorist activities," the IDF stated.