Akram Yassin
Akram YassinIDF Spokesperson

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced Tuesday that they had eliminated a senior official in Hamas's General Security Mechanism in an airstrike in Gaza City.

The terrorist, identified as Akram Bassam Shaaban Yassin, was eliminated in an intelligence-guided operation carried out by the IDF and Shin Bet.

According to the military, Yassin held a senior position in Hamas's General Security Mechanism, a covert apparatus responsible for protecting the terrorist organization's senior leadership.

The mechanism plays a central role in safeguarding Hamas leaders, coordinating their movements between emergency facilities, and gathering intelligence to support the organization's operations.

Senior officials in the mechanism are also responsible for preparing intelligence assessments, including information about Israeli security forces, to assist Hamas leaders in making operational decisions and planning terrorist attacks against Israel.

The IDF noted that Yassin's elimination follows a series of strikes carried out four months ago in which additional senior officials in Hamas's General Security Mechanism were killed.

According to the military, the latest operation is part of an ongoing campaign of targeted eliminations intended to weaken the mechanism's capabilities in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF further stated that Yassin had recently been involved in advancing terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

"Recently, the terrorist advanced terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians and attempted to restore Hamas' military capabilities, in systematic violation of the ceasefire," the military stated.

The IDF said the airstrike was carried out to eliminate the threat posed by Yassin and prevent further terrorist activity.

Before the strike, the military took measures intended to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

The IDF emphasized that Southern Command forces remain deployed in the Gaza Strip in accordance with the existing agreement and will continue operating against immediate threats.

"The security forces under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat," the IDF concluded.