Israel eliminates top Hamas commander

GAZA STRIP, Palestine

Palestinian militant group Hamas said Tuesday one of the top leaders of its armed wing was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip.

Ayman Nofal, commander of Hamas's Central Gaza Brigade, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 17, 2023

“Ayman Nofal, ‘Abu Ahmad’, a member of the general military council and commander of the central command in Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed” in an Israeli strike on the central Gaza Strip, Hamas said in a statement, referring to its military wing.

He was killed in a strike in the Bureij refugee camp. The IDF said the airstrike was carried out following intelligence efforts by the Shin Bet security agency and Military Intelligence Directorate.

Reports from Gaza indicated that 14 people had been killed in a strike on a home belonging to the family of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, including his brother and nephew. Haniyeh himself lives in Qatar.

Earlier today, Israel Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said members of Hamas had two options in the ongoing war: to surrender or to die.

“Our warplanes will reach everywhere… every missile has an address. We will reach each and every one of the members of Hamas,” Gallant told pilots and technicians of the Israel Air Force’s F-35 fleet at the Nevatim airbase.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to pilots at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel, October 17, 2023

“Hamas members have two options: Either die in their positions or surrender unconditionally. There is no third option. We will wipe out the Hamas organization and dismantle all of its capabilities,” Gallant said.

Israel has bombarded Hamas-ruled Gaza in retaliation for raids by the militants on October 7, the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and more than 2,700 in Gaza, according to officials on both sides.

Israel has evacuated many of its border communities during the ongoing hostilities, while it has been impossible for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents to leave the Palestinian territory.