IDF And Shin Bet Claims Successfully Killed Hamas Battalion Commander Leading October 7 Attack

Illustration of Israeli fighter jet airstrikes. (Wikimedia Commons/Deror Avi)

JAKARTA - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet announced airstrikes against Gaza City, Palestine on Wednesday killed commander of the Hamas Shejaiya Battalion, who led the attack on Nahal Oz in southern Israel.

The commander who was killed was claimed to be Haitham Razek Abd al-Karim Sheikh Khalil, the fourth commander of the Shejaiya Battalion who was killed by the IDF during the war.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Shejaiya region of Gaza City.

According to the IDF, the attack targeted Hamas command center located about one kilometer from Israeli forces operating in the area.

"Several Hamas terrorists operate at the site to plan and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces," the military said, as reported by The Times of Israel on April 10.

The attack killed Khalil, who the IDF said "ordered an infiltration into Nahal Oz during the bloody massacre on October 7".

It is known that the attack on Nahal Oz took place on October 7, 2023, sparking the latest conflict in the Palestinian enclave.

During the war, Khalil planned and carried out attacks on IDF forces in Gaza and attempted to plant bombs in the combat zone, a military claim.

Khalil previously led the company of the Nukhba Hamas Troops, and was recently appointed to lead the Shejaiya Battalion after his predecessor, Jamil Omar Jamil Wadiya, died in March.

Wadiya has taken over the battalion after his predecessor died in December 2023. On December 2, 2023, the IDF killed the commander of the Shejaiya Battalion Wissam Farhat and, a week later, killed his successor Emad Qariqa.

Regarding the deaths of about 30 Palestinians in the attack, the IDF said it had taken steps to reduce losses to civilians, including by using "precision ammunition", air surveillance, and other intelligence.

"Hamas terror organizations systematically violate international law while cruelly exploiting civilian buildings and civilian populations as human shields for their terror activities," the Israeli military said.