The IDF killed a Hamas commander who participated in the October 7 massacre and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist in two separate Thursday strikes, the military confirmed on Friday morning.
An airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip targeted and killed Mohammed Mohammed Abd al-Khalek Hala, a commander in the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing. Hala infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7, the military said.
Hala was a commander in the weapons production headquarters of Hamas's military wing, producing different weapons and advancing Hamas's military presence in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF also killed Ahmad Jabrin Tawqif Dalhan, who was a terrorist in the al-Quds Brigades, PIJ's military wing, in a strike in Khan Yunis. Dalhan advanced attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, the statement explained. He violated the ceasefire through his attempts to restore PIJ to its pre-war strength in the Gaza Strip.
Both of the terrorists had recently attempted to attack the IDF or Israeli civilians and were in violation of the ceasefire, the IDF spokesperson said. "The terrorists were eliminated to remove the threat that they posed."
The strikes were carried out with precision munitions and aerial surveillance to limit risk of harm to civilians, the statement explained.
IDF kills Gazan terror weapon smugglers
This announcement follows the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announcing on Thursday that they killed two terrorists allegedly involved in the smuggling of weapons and other military assets into Gaza in a Wednesday strike.
Basel Nabil Abd al-Rahman Kashta and Ahmad Raja al-Shaer were killed in the strikes in Khan Yunis to eliminate "an immediate threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the Yellow Line area," the joint statement said at the time.
Asher Smith contributed to this report.